(NEW YORK) — A new tropical system may hit the Carolinas as a hurricane next week, bringing significant flooding with it.
The system — which will be named Imelda — could strengthen to a tropical storm on Saturday and may become a hurricane on Sunday or Monday.
The system will move through the Bahamas this weekend and then turn north. While the track remains uncertain, impacts to the Southeast coast are expected.
By Monday afternoon and Tuesday, the storm’s center is forecast to be near the South Carolina coast. The heaviest rain and strongest winds would be in play from South Carolina to Virginia, with storm surge and coastal flooding also possible
The system will also interact with a stationary front along the coast, which could stall the storm and allow for several days of rainfall.
Flooding is the greatest risk and damaging winds and storm surge are also possible, depending on how strong the storm is as it approaches the coast.
If Imelda forms, it could become a Category 1 or 2 hurricane, but a major hurricane — Category 3 or higher — is not expected at this time.
Charleston officials are bracing for a potential impact, announcing Thursday that stormwater pumps have been deployed, high-water vehicles are being readied and the city is working on a sandbag plan.
“We have also ordered that all the lakes be lowered,” Mayor William Cogswell said at an emergency city council meeting.
“Even though this has not formed yet, we are treating it as if we’re expecting some kind of impact,” Charleston Chief Fire Marshal Michael Julazadeh added. “We don’t want to downplay the scenario — we want everybody to begin to prepare.”
Meanwhile, Hurricane Humberto is churning in the Atlantic as a Category 1 storm and may strengthen to a major hurricane this weekend.
Humberto is expected to move west of Bermuda on Tuesday and Wednesday and stay hundreds of miles away from the U.S., eventually turning northwest and going out to sea without making landfall.
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