Tropical update: Memorial Day Weekend & tropical impacts

If you have plans for this Memorial Day Weekend, make sure to tune in closely, especially if you are in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic as heavy rains and some gusty winds are probable with what could become a weak tropical system.

As we’ve been telling you all week, there is a chance for tropical formation over the western Atlantic close to the Georgia and Carolina Coast late this week. The chance is low because the system is not likely to develop tropical characteristics while it is on the water, and with it moving over land, it will not have time to develop. This is a typical scenario of systems that are borderline between becoming tropical but do not acquire the right specifications and staying as a non-tropical low, developing a front.

Its proximity to land and the fact that it will be moving toward the Carolinas will very likely prevent it from strengthening, but still, this system could bring very soggy weather through the weekend from the Carolinas through Virginia and other mid-Atlantic states.

As this system inches closer to land on Saturday, expect heavy rains for the Outer Banks and a constant stream of moisture to move in over North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, and even parts of eastern Tennessee. On Sunday, rain from this system will affect Delaware, Washington D.C., West Virginia, and parts of Virginia and North Carolina. By early next week, the system will be dissipating, exiting the mid-Atlantic region, and moving east away from the U.S.

Residents along the North Carolina and Virginia coast should stay aware that this system could cause gusty winds of at least 40 mph and bring a high risk of rip currents. This will not be the best weekend for beach activities as the seas will be very dangerous and there will be thunderstorms around. The gusts could also down trees and power lines causing a few power outages.

Make sure to stay informed through the weekend about this system. We will have a team of meteorologists bringing you updates and keeping tabs on this and any other tropical activity that might form, as well as dangerous weather across other parts of the nation.