Two powerful Atlantic storms are threatening the East Coast with dangerous surf conditions this week, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Category 4 Hurricane Humberto is swirling over the central Atlantic and hammering the beaches of the northern Caribbean, Bahamas, and Bermuda with high surf and life-threatening rip currents, the NHC reported early Monday morning. Forecasters expect these conditions to begin affecting much of the East Coast today.
As Humberto tracks northwest toward the U.S., Tropical Storm Imelda is gaining strength roughly 300 miles (483 kilometers) off the coast of South Florida. This system will likely reach hurricane status by 2:00 p.m. ET Tuesday, the NHC reports. Forecasters expect Imelda to bring tropical storm conditions to the Bahamas and Cuba through Tuesday, creating a risk of flash flooding and mudslides. Large swaths of the Southeast Coast are also at risk of flash flooding as heavy rainfall reaches the U.S.
Significant impacts without landfall
The NHC doesn’t expect either of these storms to make landfall, but their combined impact could produce dangerous marine conditions and rip currents along the east coasts of Florida and Georgia today. The National Weather Service has issued gale-force wind, hurricane, and tropical storm warnings from Florida to Massachusetts, as these conditions are likely to rapidly spread northward.
That said, Humberto will play a key role in preventing Imelda from directly hitting the East Coast. Imelda’s northward track is currently being steered by a subtropical ridge, but by Tuesday, forecasters expect Humberto to weaken that ridge and cause the tropical storm to veer east away from the U.S.
Areas most at risk of coastal flooding
The NHC expects Imelda to dump 1 to 2 inches of rain—with local maximum totals up to 4 inches—through Tuesday across northeast Florida, coastal South Carolina, and coastal sections of southeast North Carolina. This could result in isolated flash and urban flooding.
“This storm is deadly serious. Not just serious. Deadly serious,” South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster said at a news conference, according to NBC News. McMaster said authorities were prepositioning search and rescue crews over the weekend. In North Carolina, Governor Josh Stein declared a state of emergency before Imelda even formed.
This storm is likely to produce another 2 to 4 inches of rain in eastern Cuba and 4 to 8 inches in the northwest Bahamas through Tuesday, raising the risk of flash flooding and mudslides, according to the NHC. As Imelda approaches Bermuda, 2 to 4 inches of rain could fall between Wednesday and Thursday.
So far this season, every Atlantic hurricane—Erin, Gabrielle, and Humberto—has reached “major” strength, but none of them have made landfall in the U.S. Whether Imelda continues this trend remains to be seen, but it’s clear that it will be impactful for the Southeast.