Subtropical storm Beryl began moving faster toward an expected
landfall Sunday night on the Southeast U.S. coast, threatening Memorial
Day beachgoers with forecast conditions of dangerous surf and drenching
rains from northeast Florida up through a swath of the Carolinas.
Tropical storm warnings were in effect for the entire Georgia
coastline, as well as parts of Florida and South Carolina, the National
Hurricane Center said. Forecasters at the center in Miami said the
system of powerful thunderstorms was expected to make landfall sometime
Sunday night in the region.
Beryl was technically considered a "subtropical storm," but the
system of menacing storms was expected to bring winds and rain to the
area regardless of its official classification.
At 5 a.m. EDT Sunday, Beryl was centered about 175 miles southeast
of Savannah. Forecasters said the system had maximum sustained winds of
50 mph and was moving toward the west-southwest at 10 mph — up from a
forward speed of 7 mph reported hours earlier.
Tropical storm conditions — meaning maximum sustained winds of 45
mph — were expected to reach the coast late Sunday morning or afternoon
and continue through the night. Three to six inches of rain were
forecast for a wide area from northern Florida up the coast to the
southeastern portion of North Carolina. Some coastal flooding also was
in the forecast, as the rain could cause high tides.
Dangerous surf conditions, including rip currents, are possible from
northeast Florida to North Carolina in the coming hours, forecasters
added.
Meanwhile, little change in strength was expected before Beryl makes
landfall and the storm system was then expected to weaken to a
depression Monday once ashore, the center said.
The Southeast coast is popular with tourists who visit the beaches
and wilderness areas and generally throng to many of its beach
communities and resort towns each Memorial Day weekend.
"A three-day thunderstorm is what it's probably going to be," said
Jay Wiggins, emergency management director for Glynn County, which is
about 60 miles south of Savannah and includes Brunswick and St. Simons
Island in Georgia. "Unfortunately, it's going to ruin a lot of Memorial
Day plans."
Wiggins said he expects some flooded roadways and scattered power
outages, perhaps some minor flooding in waterfront homes, but otherwise
little damage. However, he urged beachgoers to beware of dangerous rip
currents.
On Tybee Island, home to Georgia's largest public beach east of
Savannah, employees at Amy Gaster's home and condo rental business were
making sure arriving guests were aware of the approaching storm during
the weekend. Gaster said her 180 rentals were sold out and nobody was
canceling plans or asking to check out early.
While Georgia hasn't taken a direct hit from a major hurricane in
114 years, the last time a tropical storm made landfall here was in
August 1988. Tropical Storm Chris hit near Savannah but did little
damage as it pushed northward into South Carolina.
In South Carolina, Beaufort County Emergency Management deputy
director David Zeoli said Saturday that word went out to
first-responders along the coast near the Georgia line to pay attention
to the storm's progress.