Tropical storm warning issued for South Carolina coast

MARIETTA, Ga. (AP) — A weather system off the coast of Georgia and South Carolina is expected to strengthen into a tropical storm before it makes landfall and drop large amounts of rain, the National Hurricane Center said Monday.

Tropical storm warnings were issued Monday for parts of the South Carolina coast, from Edisto Beach to the South Santee River.

The tropical depression was about 145 miles (235 kilometers) east-southeast of Beaufort, South Carolina, late Monday morning, the hurricane center said. Maximum sustained winds are near 35 mph (55 kph) with higher gusts.

The fast-moving system could reach the Georgia and South Carolina coasts as early as Monday night, forecasters said. The storm could produce between 1 and 3 inches (3 to 8 centimeters) of rain with locally higher amounts along the coasts of Georgia and southern South Carolina.

In Savannah, Georgia, all systems are go for Tuesday night’s Savannah Bananas home baseball game. Officials for the collegiate summer league team planned to cover the field with tarp on Monday in preparation for the game.

“For us, being on the coast and being in Savannah, we get some nasty pop-up storms that can dump an inch of rain in just a few hours,” Bananas President Jared Orton said Monday. “This one doesn’t look like much more than just a nice, passing day of rain. I think we’re good to go as long as the sun comes out tomorrow and it should be a beautiful night in Savannah, I would think.”

A U.S. Air Force Reserve aircraft is scheduled to investigate the system Monday evening to give forecasters more data.

Jeff Martin, The Associated Press