First tropical storm of season forms

[Jolie Rouge]

no threat to Louisiana



BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB) - The first tropical storm of the 2012 Hurricane Season has formed and is no threat to Louisiana. Tropical Storm Alberto formed just off the coast of South Carolina Saturday afternoon.

The storm as of the 4 p.m. Saturday advisory is located 140 miles East of Charleston, SC. Alberto currently has sustained winds of 45 mph making it a minimal tropical storm. There isn't much forward speed with this system. It was moving about 3 mph to the southwest, some strengthening is possible.

Tropical storm force winds extend 45 miles out from the center of the storm. The minimum central pressure is 1007 mb or 29.74 inches. The storm is expected to stay in its current position for a few days before moving north along the East coast before being absorbed by a continental storm system on Wednesday.

Hurricane season officially starts June 1st. Tropical cyclones are not that unprecedented in the months leading up to hurricane season. In face since 2000, the Atlantic Basin has seen one tropical cyclone in April and 4 tropical cyclones form in the month of May. The last one this early was Tropical Storm Ana which formed April 21st, 2003 (subtropical storm Andrea formed May 9th, 2007).

Jeff Morrow will have the latest on Tropical Storm Alberto coming up on 9 News at 6 and 10

http://www.wafb.com/story/18563201/f...s-no-threat-to

[Advertisement]

[hblueeyes]

And so it begins. Reminds me to try and prepare for tornado season.

Me

[Jolie Rouge]

Beryl, now a tropical storm, nears US southeastern coast
By msnbc.com staff and news services Updated at 2:33 p.m. ET



Tropical Storm Beryl already was wrecking some Memorial Day weekend plans on Sunday, sending shoreline campers packing to head inland and canceling some events in the southeastern United States. The storm is due to make landfall later tonight, from Jacksonville, Fla. to Georgia.

Beryl was still well offshore, but officials in Georgia and Florida were already bracing for drenching rains and driving winds. Campers at Cumberland Island, which is reachable only by boat, were told to leave by 4:45 p.m. The island has a number of undeveloped beaches and forests popular with campers. Many people, however, seemed determined to make the best of the soggy forecast. At Greyfield Inn, a 19th-century mansion and the only private inn on Cumberland Island, the rooms were nearly full Sunday; all guests were planning to stay put through the wet weather, said Dawn Drake, who answered the phone at the inn's office on the Florida coast.

In Jacksonville, Fla., Mayor Alvin Brown ordered a state of emergency, ending the Jazz Festival early and urging people to stay out of the water and off the streets, News4JAX.com reported. Workers are also out clearing tree limbs and debris that could be tossed about by the storm's winds. "We are encouraging all residents to stay indoors," Brown said at a Sunday morning news conference at the Emergency Operations Center. But business was booming at Red Dog Surf Shop in New Smyrna Beach where customers flocked to buy boards and wax in anticipation of the storm's high waves. Officials all along the coast warned of rip currents, waves and high tides — all of which can be dangerous but also tend to attract adventurous surfers.

Joe Murphy, a spokesman for the Ritz Carlton in Amelia Island, said he was not seeing a flood of checkouts or people trying to get off the island. The hotel expected about 140 checkouts out of 466 rooms, he said. Outdoor dining had been moved inside and the hotel set up movies and family game activities, but the hotel had no plans to board up or move patio furniture inside. "So far it's kind of business as usual, but with that sort of anticipation of what does the storm mean," Murphy said.

Beryl was upgraded from a subtropical storm on Sunday afternoon. It was centered about 110 miles (175 kilometers) east of Jacksonville, Fla., and about 120 miles (195 km) east-southeast of Brunswick, Ga. Forecasters said the system had maximum sustained winds of 65 mph (100 kph) and was moving west at 10 mph (17 kph). Beryl was projected to make landfall late Sunday or early Monday, though tropical storm conditions -- meaning maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (72 kph) -- were expected to reach the U.S. coast hours before that. Once it makes landfall, Beryl will continue dumping rain over parts of Florida and Georgia before slowly moving back out to sea.

Tropical storm warnings were in effect for the entire Georgia coastline, as well as parts of Florida and South Carolina, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. Beryl was expected to weaken to a depression Monday once it came ashore, the center said. On Tybee Island, a barrier island not far from Savannah, water off the beaches was closed for swimming Sunday morning. Tybee Island fire Chief C.L. Sasser said winds of up to 42 mph were creating "horrendous water currents." Only people with flotation devices strapped or tethered to their bodies were being allowed into the water, and they were being cautioned to not venture in farther than knee deep. "Even if you're standing in waist-deep water, the current can sweep you out quickly," he said.

His ocean rescue team pulled a total of 48 people from the water on Saturday, he said, including about 27 that were considered to be in life-threatening conditions. One man who was sucked under the water was rescued by friends and onlookers and was taken to the hospital in serious condition.

A band of showers soaked the beaches late Sunday morning, causing crowds to thin, Sasser said. With alternating rainy and sunny weather forecast throughout the day, he said he expected the crowds on the sands to ebb and flow.

In South Carolina, Janice Keith with the Myrtle Beach Area Convention and Visitors Bureau said the office hadn't fielded any calls from concerned tourists.

In Beaufort County, emergency management deputy director David Zeoli said officials were continuing to monitor the storm and encourage people to have a plan in case conditions get worse. Zeoli said winds had kicked up in the area that includes Hilton Head Island, a popular golf and beach destination. "It's just a wet day here," he said.

http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/20...ern-coast?lite

BERYL STRONGER...NOW A TROPICAL STORM...

2:00 PM EDT Sun May 27
Location: 30.1°N 79.9°W
Max sustained: 65 mph
Moving: W at 10 mph
Min pressure: 997 mb

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/

[Jolie Rouge]

...BERYL REMAINS AN INLAND TROPICAL DEPRESSION...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

11:00 PM EDT Mon May 28
Location: 30.8°N 83.4°W
Max sustained: 30 mph
Moving: NW at 5 mph
Min pressure: 1005 mb