Tropical update: Persistent rains, gusts & dangerous seas

This weekend marks the unofficial start of the summer, but it will not mark the unofficial start to hurricane season. The low that we have been monitoring all week has no chance of officially becoming a tropical system. Nonetheless, the impacts of this storm will be widely felt across the Carolinas, Virginia, and other parts of the mid-Atlantic states.

The low-pressure system will continue with its front which will continue to meander around South Florida keeping the instability in place for the Memorial Day Weekend. Much bigger issues will affect the Carolinas and mid-Atlantic states as heavy rain, gusty winds, and dangerous seas will be present throughout the long weekend.

Heavy rains have already been affecting the eastern half of the Carolinas and it will only intensify during the next 24 hours. Remember that the low is slowly moving north so this direction will allow for a persistent moisture push through the weekend across the same areas and expanding inland.

My biggest concerns are the high rainfall, as some coastal areas could get above 7 inches during the entire weekend, gusty winds, and dangerous seas.

It’s a holiday weekend and perhaps there are people that wanted to make their first trip of the year to the beach, but this weekend is not the right weekend to venture into the Atlantic waters adjacent to the Southeast or mid-Atlantic. The seas will be very dangerous from the coast of Virginia southward to the east coast of Florida. Gale warnings are in place extending well offshore.

There is a very high risk of rip currents. Even those who are venturing to lakes should really be careful. There is a lake wind advisory in place for the central portion of South Carolina, including Columbia, N.C.,to Augusta, Ga., through Sunday morning.

Gusts could exceed 40 mph which could produce power outages as trees and powerlines could fall. These strong winds will likely cause beach erosion as the winds will be strong from the northeast. As the low moves closer to land on Saturday afternoon, the winds will shift, and stronger winds will affect the coast but also some areas inland.

The heavy rains and some of the gusty winds will become widespread on Sunday more inland. Although the winds will be winding down, some strong gusts could also affect the Appalachians, especially the Blue Ridge Mountains.By Monday, the low will be dissipating, but there will still be some rain showers affecting the Carolinas, eastern Georgia, and mid-Atlantic states on Monday. Check the WeatherRadar for conditions in your city up to 4 days in advance.