MIAMI (AP) — Tropical Storm Imelda formed Sunday and is expected to become a hurricane on a forecast track curving away from the U.S. East Coast early this week. The storm dumped rain and churned up seas near the Bahamas and Cuba and even briefly prompted a tropical storm watch on a stretch of Florida's Atlantic coast.
Meanwhile, Hurricane Humberto weakened slightly but remained a powerful Category 4 storm further out in the Atlantic, threatening Bermuda. The Bermuda Weather Service issued a tropical storm watch, meaning tropical storm conditions were possible on the island nation within 48 hours.
At about 5 p.m. EDT, Imelda was about 55 miles (90 kilometers) south-southwest of the northwest Bahamas and about 355 miles (570 km) southeast of Cape Canaveral in Brevard County, Florida, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said.
Imelda was headed north at 9 mph (15 kph), bearing top sustained winds of 40 mph (65 kph). The hurricane center said the storm was expected to move across the central and northwestern Bahamas through Sunday night and then spin east-northeast away from the southeastern U.S. by midweek.
A tropical storm watch for the east coast of Florida from the Palm Beach-Martin County Line to the Flagler-Volusia County Line was discontinued Sunday afternoon. But
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster also urged vigilance, although coastal Georgetown County said it was returning to normal operations because of an improving forecast for that area.
“What we learn every time is we never know where they are going to go,” McMaster said at a news conference to discuss emergency preparations. “This storm is deadly serious. Not just serious. Deadly serious."
The South Carolina governor added that Imelda could bring high winds, heavy rain, and flooding to his state, and authorities there were prepositioning search and rescue crews over the weekend.
In North Carolina, Gov. Josh Stein declared a state of emergency even before Tropical Storm Imelda formed.
Hurricane Humberto weakens some but still major storm
Humberto, though slightly weakened, was still a dangerous Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 145 mph (230 kph) with higher gusts, the center said Sunday. Humberto was centered about 470 miles (760 kilometers) south of Bermuda and moving west-northwest at 13 mph (20 kph).
Dangerous surf will affect Bermuda and most of the U.S. East Coast this week, the center said. The hurricane is expected to gradually turn north over the next day or two before accelerating east-northeast by late Tuesday or early Wednesday. Humberto's intensity could fluctuate in coming days before weakening but was forecast to remain a dangerous major hurricane over the next couple of days.
Alison Dagostino moved to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, six years ago with her four children and husband. She experienced her first hurricane within days of moving into the area.
She said other than basic storm preparations such as buying batteries and storm-proofing windows, people were going about their lives normally on Sunday.
“People are still out and about. People are still walking on the beach,” Dagostino said.
Imelda threatens parts of Cuba and the Bahamas