The National Hurricane Center (NHC) believes there is a high chance Tropical Storm Chantal will form in the next few days, and early forecasts for the storm show its path aimed at one Southeastern state.
Newsweek reached out to the NHC by email for comment.
Why It Matters
The Atlantic hurricane season began on June 1. If it forms, Tropical Storm Chantal will be the third named storm of the season.
Meteorologists have been monitoring the disturbance in the Atlantic all week. At first, forecasts were unclear if the storm would form on the eastern or western side of Florida. As the disturbance takes shape, it looks as though a tropical system could form off the coast of the Southeastern U.S. this weekend.
There is a 70 percent chance the storm will become tropical within the next 48 hours.
What to Know
A map showing the potential path of the storm was published by AccuWeather on Thursday shows the eye path for the tropical storm through next Tuesday.
The map shows the storm could make landfall as soon as midnight Sunday on South Carolina’s southeast coast. The storm will likely lose its tropical strength by Sunday afternoon as it curves to the northeast and treks through North Carolina and Southeastern Virginia.
The greatest risk with this storm will be heavy rainfall. The heaviest rain will occur offshore, according to AccuWeather’s forecast. However, some rain is expected to hit much of Florida, Georgia’s eastern coast, eastern South Carolina, and eastern North Carolina.
Hurricane hunters will fly into the storm on Friday and gather more data about the system, the NHC forecast said.
“Regardless of development, heavy rainfall is possible across portions of west-central and southwestern Florida through early Saturday, and across coastal sections of the Carolinas beginning later on Saturday,” the forecast said.
Another map from AccuWeather showed the highest risk of tropical-related impacts, such as rain and wind, will be for northeastern South Carolina and southeastern North Carolina. These impacts could begin as soon as Friday and persist through Monday.
What People Are Saying
NHC said in a forecast for the storm: “Satellite wind data indicate that the system located about 150 miles off the northeast Florida coast has become better defined today with an area of strong winds located on its east side. Showers and thunderstorms are also persisting near and to the east of the center. A short-lived subtropical or tropical depression could form later today or on Saturday while the system drifts generally north-northwestward. This low is expected to move inland over the southeastern U.S. by early Sunday.”
AccuWeather Lead Hurricane Expert Alex DaSilva said in a report by AccuWeather: “This will be a classic example of homegrown development, by which a tropical depression or storm may form close to the southeast Atlantic coast and in an area where it is typical for July.”
What Happens Next
Because the system is forming so close to land, it isn’t expected to reach hurricane strength before making landfall later this weekend.
The post Tropical Storm Chantal Path Shows State Most At Risk for Direct Impact appeared first on Newsweek.
