Showers and storms in Savannah, Ga., started later than expected on Sunday, resulting in intense rainfall with rates over two inches per hour.
Several areas experienced rapid accumulation of one to two inches of rain on already saturated ground, causing issues on roadways. These storm conditions are expected to subside shortly after sunset.
Overnight, anticipate warm and muggy weather with temperatures in the low to mid-70s by Monday morning. Early commuters should be cautious of potential patchy fog due to the saturated ground.
Drier air moving into the region will bring abundant sunshine on Monday. With that, temperatures will rise significantly as cloud cover will be sparse and rain chances minimal. A few isolated showers may occur in the afternoon.
Partly cloudy skies with a chance of isolated storms are expected on Tuesday and Wednesday. Northeasterly winds, influenced by distant Hurricane Erin, will help any showers move through the area quickly.
As of the 5 PM update, Hurricane Erin is classified as a Category 3 storm with 125 mph winds. It is turning north, sending tropical storm force winds towards the Southeast Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos.
Erin will have another shot at intensifying tonight but over the course of the week, the system will grow in size and bring a tremendous windfield into the Western Atlantic, well offshore.
Locally, indirect impacts are expected with dangerous surf and a high risk for life-threatening rip currents. Swimmers should be very cautious entering the water, if it isn’t already closed to swimmers. Breaking waves taller than 5 feet will be great for surfers, but should not be surfed if you’re not experienced.
On our local waters, waves of five to eight feet have required a Small Craft Advisory to be in place from 4 am Tuesday through at least 8 pm Thursday. Winds offshore may reach 25 kt at times Tuesday through Thursday.
In other tropical news, an area of low pressure may develop between Africa and the Caribbean over the next 7 days. It has 40% odds of becoming a tropical depression or named storm. There is a lot of time to watch this and we will keep you posted.
