Tropical storms hit Caribbean, may impact Southeast U.S. in coming days
Global News
The storm could bring high winds and heavy rain, which could produce flooding South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster said.
Crews spent Saturday making preparations for an unnamed weather system that is forecast to approach the coast of South Carolina as a hurricane early next week.
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster urged residents on Saturday afternoon to closely monitor the weather and stay alert as potential bad weather approaches the state.
Also on Saturday, North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein declared a state of emergency in advance of the system that is being identified by the National Hurricane Center in Miami as Tropical Depression Nine.
A year ago Saturday, Hurricane Helene devastated parts of South Carolina and North Carolina.
On Saturday afternoon, the system was located about 120 miles (190 kilometers) south southwest of the Central Bahamas. Forecasters urged people in the Bahamas and along the southeastern coast of the United States to pay close attention to the storm.
“What we learn every time is we never know where they are going to go,” McMaster said during a Saturday afternoon news conference to discuss the storm. “This storm is deadly serious. Not just serious. Deadly serious.”
The storm could bring high winds and heavy rain, which could produce flooding, he said. The state was prepositioning search and rescue crews over the weekend.
Meantime, Hurricane Humberto remained a powerful Category 4 hurricane on Saturday afternoon, with maximum sustained winds of 145 mph (230 kph), according to the National Hurricane Center’s latest advisory.
