A new tropical depression off the coast of South Carolina could bring some rain to parts of Alabama overnight into Tuesday. The National Hurricane Center said Tropical Depression Four had formed on Monday morning and was centered about 110 miles east-southeast of Charleston, S.C. It was tracking to the west-northwest at 16 mph and is expected to make landfall tonight in South Carolina, the hurricane center said.
Tropical Depression Four could become Tropical Storm Danny before it makes landfall tonight. A tropical storm warning has been issued for the South Carolina coast from Edisto Beach to the South Santee River. That means tropical storm conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area in about 12 hours. The depression had top winds of 35 mph, according to the hurricane center. It would need winds of 39 mph to be considered a tropical storm and get a name. The next name on the list is Danny. The hurricane center said it could become a tropical storm before making landfall tonight.
An Air Force Reserve reconnaissance aircraft is scheduled to take a closer look at this system later today. The storm could bring up to 3 inches of rain to the Georgia and South Carolina coasts, the hurricane center said. It could also bring some rain to Alabama as well, according to the National Weather Service. The remnants of the storm, combined with daytime heating, could set off more rain and storms across parts of north and central Alabama on Tuesday, according to the weather service.
One to 2 inches of rain is not out of the question, especially in northeast Alabama, the hurricane center said. It could set of more rain and storms across north and central Alabama on Wednesday as well. The hurricane center is also watching another tropical wave to the south and east in the central Atlantic. It is expected to approach the Lesser Antilles on Wednesday night. It has a 40 percent chance of becoming a tropical depression in the next five days. It will be something the Caribbean and Puerto Rico will have to keep an eye on this week.
The Atlantic hurricane season typically peaks in September and lasts until Nov. 30.
(AL.COM/www.al.com)