Tropical Storm Bonnie Update: South Carolina To See Heavy Rains Memorial Day Weekend

Bonnie showed up at Memorial Day weekend festivities Saturday and began ruining everything.

Tropical Storm Bonnie was upgraded in the afternoon as its heavy rains started lashing South Carolina’s coastal areas. The storm could have sustained winds as high as 40 mph, with gusts climbing higher, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in a tropical storm warning for the state’s coastal areas. It could soon get worse.

“Some additional strengthening is possible tonight as Bonnie moves over the warm waters of the Gulf Stream,” the NHC said in a statement.

At the time of the warning, Tropical Storm Bonnie was about 125 miles southeast of Charleston, South Carolina. It was creeping northwest at a clip of 10 mph, according to the NHC. CNN meteorologist Jennifer Varian projected the storm would make landfall Sunday at about 2 a.m. EDT.

Forecasters warned Bonnie could be dangerous, with the storm bringing as much as three inches of rain to the Carolinas, along with its winds and its waves as high as 13 feet, according to NBC News. Florida and Georgia also may feel the effects of the storm. However, things should look better by the end of Sunday.

“Gradual weakening is forecast on Sunday,” the NHC said in its statement.

The official Atlantic hurricane season begins Wednesday and ends Nov. 30. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Prediction Center released a statement saying the season this year could be particularly unpredictable. It said there likely would be between one and four major hurricanes, meaning category 3 or greater.

“While a near-normal season is most likely, with a 45 percent chance, there is also a 30 percent chance of an above-normal season and a 25 percent chance of a below-normal season,” the center said in its statement.