Tropical Storm Imelda formed over the Bahamas Sunday afternoon and is expected to intensify into a hurricane, and while its forecast is less ominous for the Southeast coast, the storm will still be felt there.
Newly-formed Imelda has maximum sustained winds of 40 mph and is 370 miles southeast of Cape Canaveral, Florida, as of 2 p.m. ET, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Tropical storm warnings are in effect for the central and northwestern Bahamas where the tropical storm is currently wringing out heavy rain. Rainfall totals could range from 4 to 12 inches in the Bahamas and eastern Cuba, more than enough to trigger flash flooding.
The eventual path of Tropical Storm Imelda has been trending away from a direct landfall along the Southeast coast over the last 24 to 36 hours. After moving north and parallel to Florida’s Atlantic coast through Monday, the storm is now expected to make an abrupt turn east and away from the coast while intensifying into a hurricane Tuesday into Wednesday.
Imelda has joined Hurricane Humberto in the Atlantic. The powerful Category 4 hurricane rapidly intensified into a rare Category 5 storm Saturday over the warm, energy-filled water of the open ocean and has a role to play in Imelda’s future.
Imelda’s slower than expected northward movement means Humberto will win out in a tropical tug-of-war between it and a weather pattern over the Southeast US. On Tuesday, Humberto will tug Imelda away from the coast and the weather pattern trying to draw it closer to land.
It seems unlikely that this steering pattern will shift again, but those on the Southeast coast shouldn’t fully let their guard down just yet.
“The risk of significant wind impacts along the southeastern United States coast is decreasing, but interests in that area should continue to monitor the latest forecast updates,” the hurricane center said Sunday.
The first effects from the storm could reach the Southeast as early as Monday, with coastal areas of eastern Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas expected to experience brunt of the storm’s impacts.
Flooding rain is still a concern, especially in the coastal Carolinas, even with the center of the storm forecast to remain offshore of the Southeast US. Onshore winds will also kick up high surf that could cause coastal flooding and beach erosion.
The rainfall forecast has trended down since Saturday. Totals of 1 to 5 inches are now forecast in the coastal Carolinas through Wednesday morning.
Imelda’s wind field will grow and allow strong, gusty winds to howl along the Southeast coast early-to-midweek.
Officials in the Southeast geared up to deal with the storm even though things were looking more encouraging Sunday. South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster issued a state of emergency Friday, activating statewide response plans and mobilizing agencies to prepare for significant wind, flooding rain and storm surge across the state.
The City of Charleston declared a local state of emergency Saturday, and began distributing sandbags and clearing storm drains, according to a statement.
Meanwhile, over the open Atlantic, Hurricane Humberto rapidly intensified into a Category 5 storm Saturday while tracking over warm water and a less hostile environment in the central Atlantic.
Humberto weakened slightly to a high-end Category 4 hurricane Sunday morning. It’s expected to remain a powerful Category 4 storm into early in the work week.
It is not a direct threat to the US, and will likely steer far to the west of Bermuda. That said, Bermuda could still see bands of rain and gusty winds Tuesday into Wednesday. Imelda could come near the archipelago by late week.
Anyone from the Bahamas to the Southeast coast and Bermuda should continue to keep a close eye on the forecast, but for now, it appears the US will avoid a more serious impact.
The post Tropical Storm Imelda has formed, and there’s been a big change in the forecasted path. What you need to know appeared first on CNN.
