A tropical system is moving toward Georgia and South Carolina, may make landfall late Monday

A weather system forming in the Atlantic basin could become a tropical depression or tropical storm and is forecast to make landfall later Monday near the Georgia-South Carolina border, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Heavy rainfall and strong gusty winds with dangerous rip currents are forecast for southeast Georgia. Some showers could arrive later Monday morning ahead of the center.

The system has a 70 percent chance of forming into a storm over the next 48 hours, and if it does, it would be named Danny. So far this season, which began this month, the Atlantic has seen three named storms. 

Meanwhile, a second disturbance is producing a small cluster of showers and thunderstorms over the eastern tropical Atlantic Ocean. And in the Eastern Pacific, Hurricane Enrique is forecast to produce heavy rains across southwestern Mexico over the next few days, the hurricane center says. 

Possible tropical depression may reach Georgia, South Carolina

A small low pressure system was located about 300 miles east-southeast of Savannah, Georgia, as of 2 a.m. The associated shower and thunderstorm activity remains disorganized, with most of it displaced to the northwest of the surface center due to strong upper-level winds.

The low is forecast to move quickly west-northwest at 15 to 20 mph, crossing over the warmer waters of the Gulf Stream later Monday morning, and it has some potential to become a tropical depression or tropical storm before reaching the coast of Georgia or southern South Carolina by this evening.

If the system becomes more organized Monday, then tropical storm warnings could go into effect or a portion of the Georgia and South Carolina coasts with short notice.

Regardless of development, a few inches of rain are possible along the immediate coasts of Georgia and southern South Carolina through Monday night. 

“Gusty winds are possible with this storm, but the main threat to land will be any persistent downpours where flash flooding is possible, especially in any low-lying and poor drainage areas,” AccuWeather Meteorologist Nicole LoBiondo said.

Rough surf and stronger-than-normal rip currents are likely along the Southeast coast as this system churns up the ocean.

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