TD 2 Becomes Bonnie

The National Hurricane Center has issued an advisory to upgrade Tropical Depression 2 to Tropical Storm Bonnie.

The center of Bonnie was located about 120 miles southeast of Beaufort, SC, with maximum sustained wind of 40 mph. Heavy rain from Bonnie was spreading across the coastal sections of South Carolina. The image below is from the radar at Charleston, SC.

A Tropical Storm Warning was in effect for the area from Savannah River to Little River Inlet, South Carolina. A Tropical Storm Warning means that tropical storm conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area, in this case within the next 12 hours.

At 500 PM EDT (2100 UTC), the center of Tropical Storm Bonnie was located by satellite and NOAA Doppler radars near latitude 31.1 North, longitude 79.4 West. Bonnie was moving toward the northwest near 10 mph (17 km/h). This general motion, accompanied by a decrease in forward speed, is expected through this evening and on Sunday as the system nears the coast within the warning area.

Tropical-storm-force winds extended outward up to 60 miles (95 km) from the center, mainly to the northwest of the center.

The estimated minimum central pressure was 1008 mb (29.77 inches).

Tropical storm conditions are expected to first reach the coast within the warning area later tonight or early Sunday.

Bonnie is expected to produce total rainfall accumulations of 1 to 3 inches with maximum totals of 5 inches from eastern
South Carolina through southeastern North Carolina.

Storm surge inundation of 1 to 2 feet above ground level is possible within the tropical storm warning area during the
next high tide on Sunday morning.

Bonnie is expected to produce life-threatening surf and rip current conditions along portions of the southeastern United
States coast through the weekend.

An isolated tornado or two will be possible late tonight and early Sunday over the immediate coastal region from central
South Carolina through southern North Carolina.

-Brian-

Category: Tropical