What does this mean for Beaufort County?
By Delayna Earley
The Island News
Tropical Storm Chantal has strengthened from a tropical depression as of the 8 a.m. update from the National Hurricane Center (NHC) on Saturday, July 5.
The storm is currently located approximately 150 miles southeast of Charleston, SC, with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph.
A Tropical Storm Warning has been issued for the coastline from South Santee River, S.C., to Cape Fear, N.C., with a Tropical Storm Watch stretching down to Edisto Beach, S.C.
As of the 8 a.m. advisory, Beaufort County is not included in the projected path of the storm but could receive higher rain chances with heavy rainfall possible, especially along the coast, gusty winds and a higher risk of dangerous rip currents throughout the weekend, according to the National Weather Service Charleston.
Tropical Storm Chantal could make landfall along the middle to upper coast of South Carolina late Sunday.
This is the third named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which officially began on June 1 and will last through the end of November.
This story will be updated as more information is made available.
Delayna Earley, who joined The Island News in 2022, formerly worked as a photojournalist for The Island Packet/The Beaufort Gazette, as well as newspapers in Indiana and Virginia. She can be reached at delayna.theislandnews@gmail.com.
