SC dodges Hurricane Lee, Tropical Storm Margot. What storms are brewing in the Atlantic?
While Hurricane Lee and Tropical Storm Margot whirred in the Atlantic on Monday without direct threats to South Carolina, the National Hurricane Center identified two new systems in the eastern tropical Atlantic that may stir up trouble.
Hurricane Lee, a Category 3 storm early Monday morning, moved slowly north-northwestward and was expected to “pass well north” of the northern Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico within the next day or two.
“Confidence is now high for the northward turn that will keep it away from SC (South Carolina),” Frank Strait, the state’s severe weather liaison wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “No wind, rain, or surge from this one.”
Short and sweet, Strait added: “Cannonball dodged.”
Still, it doesn’t mean the East Coast won’t get residual impacts. Swells from Lee will “pound” South Carolina coast, he wrote.
Once a cold front takes over and winds pick up Wednesday, effects from Hurricane Lee will unravel along the state’s coast throughout the rest of the week and weekend. He urged people to plan for dangerous surf and high rip current risk at the beach, as well as possible beach erosion and hazardous boating conditions.
Those who are vying to ride into South Carolina’s coastal waters this week should probably reconsider, Strait said Monday morning.
And then there’s his word to the wise for surfers.
“I expect that ‘cane swells and offshore winds will attract the surfer dudes to our coast later this week and this weekend,” the severe weather liaison said. “As with any other part of the world, bombing overhead surf means a high rip current risk, and that’s dangerous for even the best surfers.”
With a little less than half of Atlantic hurricane season ahead, South Carolina has dodged Hurricane Lee’s ebb and flow and a strengthening Tropical Storm Margot that’s headed for the open central subtropical Atlantic, but there’s still time and ripe conditions for other storms to kick up.
On Monday, two systems brewed in the eastern tropical Atlantic near Africa’s west coast, with one boasting a 60% chance — a medium probability — of storm formation within seven days.
Currently deemed disturbance 2, a tropical wave located over the far eastern tropical Atlantic between the Cabo Verde Islands and the west coast of Africa is putting out “disorganized showers and thunderstorms,” the National Hurricane Center said Monday morning.
Conditions looks to be conducive for “gradual development” and a tropical depression may form by the weekend while the system moves westward to west-northwestward at 15 to 20 mph, the center said.
Disturbance 1 is less impressive.
The current system is a “weak area of low pressure located several hundred miles west-southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands.” It’s producing disorganized showers and thunderstorms well to the west of its center, the center said. The NHC added that development of the system is “unlikely” before it merges with a tropical wave to the east in the next few days.
On Monday, the chance of disturbance 1’s formation within the next seven days was 10%.
“I’d say that even if we didn’t have a major hurricane marching into the western Atlantic because we are near the peak of the hurricane season, and you ought to be ready,” Strait said in a Friday weather outlook.
Caught in a rip current?
- Swim along the shoreline, not directly into shore
- Once out of the current’s pull, swim at an angle away from the current toward the shore
- If needed, tread water or call for help
This story was originally published September 11, 2023 at 9:10 AM.
