Categories: NOAA

Beryl Strengthens Off South Carolina Coast

MIAMI, Florida — NOAA’s National Hurricane Center storm tracker in Miami, Florida has issued a Tropical Depression Advisory at 5:00 a.m. EDT on May 30, 2012 due to the strengthening of Beryl as it makes it way back into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of South Carolina.

Tropical Depression Beryl has maximum sustained winds of 35 m.p.h., with higher gusts, and is located just 25 miles north-northeast of Charleston, South Carolina, moving east-northeast at 14 miles per hour.

Tropical Depression Beryl is predicted to move northeastward and travel just off the coast of North Carolina and South Carolina before returning to the open Atlantic Ocean off the coast of the U.S. mid-Atlantic states.

Tropical Storm Beryl produced high seas off the Florida, Georgia, South and North Carolina Atlantic Ocean coasts for much of this Memorial Day Weekend which was bad news for boaters where Memorial Day weekend is traditionally a busy day for recreational boating and fishing.

Beryl was also bad news for retailers in the locally affected areas who rely heavily on 2012 Memorial Day sales.

Tropical Depression Beryl could produce heavy rain, surf and dangerous rip currents for the beaches on the Carolinas during the next 48 hours.

Surfers on the other hand, welcome the possibility of large ocean swell development.

The development of Beryl before the actual start of the Hurricane Season 2012 is historic because such tropical storm development of two storms before the season starts has not occurred in over one hundred years.

Despite the tropical storm development, NOAA Predicts A Normal 2012 Atlantic Hurricane Season.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic Ocean, tropical cyclone formation is not expected during the next 48 hours:

000
WTNT32 KNHC 300839
TCPAT2

BULLETIN
TROPICAL DEPRESSION BERYL ADVISORY NUMBER  18
NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL       AL022012
500 AM EDT WED MAY 30 2012

...BERYL STRENGTHENS A LITTLE AS THE CENTER MOVES NEAR THE SOUTH
CAROLINA COAST...


SUMMARY OF 500 AM EDT...0900 UTC...INFORMATION
----------------------------------------------
LOCATION...33.1N 79.8W
ABOUT 25 MI...40 KM NNE OF CHARLESTON SOUTH CAROLINA
ABOUT 135 MI...215 KM SW OF WILMINGTON NORTH CAROLINA
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...35 MPH...55 KM/H
PRESENT MOVEMENT...ENE OR 60 DEGREES AT 14 MPH...22 KM/H
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...1001 MB...29.56 INCHES


WATCHES AND WARNINGS
--------------------
THERE ARE NO COASTAL WATCHES OR WARNINGS IN EFFECT.


DISCUSSION AND 48-HOUR OUTLOOK
------------------------------
AT 500 AM EDT...0900 UTC...THE CENTER OF TROPICAL DEPRESSION BERYL
WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 33.1 NORTH...LONGITUDE 79.8 WEST.  THE
DEPRESSION IS MOVING TOWARD THE EAST-NORTHEAST NEAR 14 MPH...
22 KM/H.  A CONTINUED EAST-NORTHEAST MOTION WITH AN INCREASE IN
FORWARD SPEED IS EXPECTED DURING THE NEXT DAY OR SO.  ON THE
FORECAST TRACK...THE CENTER OF BERYL IS EXPECTED TO MOVE OFF THE
COAST OF SOUTHERN SOUTH CAROLINA LATER TODAY AND MOVE ALONG OR JUST
OFF THE COAST OF SOUTH AND NORTH CAROLINA THROUGH THIS EVENING.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE INCREASED TO NEAR 35 MPH...55 KM/H...
WITH HIGHER GUSTS.  SOME STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT
48 HOURS...AND BERYL COULD REGAIN TROPICAL-STORM STRENGTH LATER
TODAY.

ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 1001 MB...29.56 INCHES. 
CHARLESTON SOUTH CAROLINA RECENTLY REPORTED A PRESSURE OF 1000.9
MB...29.56 INCHES.


HAZARDS AFFECTING LAND
----------------------
WIND...ISOLATED TROPICAL-STORM-FORCE WIND GUSTS ARE POSSIBLE ALONG
THE COASTS OF SOUTH AND NORTH CAROLINA TODAY.

SURF...DANGEROUS SURF CONDITIONS...INCLUDING RIP CURRENTS...ARE
POSSIBLE ALONG THE COASTS OF SOUTH AND NORTH CAROLINA THROUGH
TODAY.  FOR INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA...PLEASE SEE
STATEMENTS ISSUED BY YOUR LOCAL NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE.

RAINFALL...BERYL IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE TOTAL RAIN ACCUMULATIONS
OF 3 TO 6 INCHES...WITH ISOLATED MAXIMUM AMOUNTS OF 8 INCHES...IN
NORTHEASTERN SOUTH CAROLINA AND EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA.