Tropical Storm Danny has formed off the coast of South Carolina and is expected to make landfall along the southeastern U.S. as early as Monday evening.
Danny emerged from a tropical depression off the South Carolina coast and is the fourth tropical storm of this year’s Atlantic hurricane season, The Associated Press (AP) reported. The storm’s force winds could already be felt in Charleston earlier Monday, and a weather station outside the city recorded a wind gust of 41 mph.
Danny was reported to be around 45 miles southeast of Charleston earlier Monday afternoon and forecasters said the storm is headed toward the coastline at around 16 mph, according to The AP.
BREAKING: #Danny has been named. A tropical storm with wind speeds of 40 mph, this year now joins 2012, 2016, and 2020 as seasons with a fourth named storm before July. pic.twitter.com/wOGy7xnKHJ
— The Weather Channel (@weatherchannel) June 28, 2021
The National Hurricane Center issued a warning Monday afternoon that tropical storm conditions are expected along the southeastern coast, specifically in South Carolina and Georgia, “within the next 12 hours.”
“Impacts associated with it should come in the form of localized heavy rainfall, gusty winds, enhanced rip currents, and a low threat of tornadoes,” the National Weather Service in Charleston said in a forecast earlier Monday.
The Storm Prediction Center issued a marginal risk notice for severe weather off the South Carolina coast due to a heightened tornado threat. A tropical storm can often cause brief spin-up tornadoes as the storm moves inland, according to CNN. (RELATED: Tropical Storm Regains Strength After 13 Deaths, Including 8 Children)
Danny is expected to produce between one and three inches of rain, with higher amounts in certain coastal areas, but forecasters said the storm will rapidly weaken after landfall, The AP reported. WRAL meteorologist Mike Maze also noted the storm will “eventually wash out over northern Georgia and Alabama.”