Tropical system could bring rain, breezy weather to Orangeburg

A tropical system in the Gulf of Mexico is forecast to bring heavy rain and gusty winds into the Orangeburg area Thursday evening into Friday. The storm could also bring tornadoes. The National Hurricane Center is predicting what will become Hurricane Helene will strengthen to a Category 2 hurricane packing sustained winds of 110 mph.

It is expected to make landfall in Florida and then track northeastward through Georgia. The National Weather Service said Monday that there’s “increasing confidence in the storm making landfall as a hurricane but uncertainty remains in the track as it interacts with an upper low moving in the Mississippi Valley.” Its impact on the Orangeburg area depends on how close its center moves toward the area and how weak it becomes once it moves inland, according to the National Weather Service.



“For now, the biggest impact will likely be moderate to potentially heavy rainfall that could develop as early as Thursday afternoon, although most ensemble members at this point favor heaviest rain Thursday night,” the NWS said. The area is forecast to see a 60 percent chance of rain on Thursday night with breezy conditions. Maximum wind gusts are forecast to be about 33 mph Friday morning.

Early forecasts show rainfall totals could be between one inch and two inches. There’s also the potential for tornadoes and about a 50 percent chance the area will experience gusts above 40 mph. Contact the writer: gzaleski@timesanddemocrat.

com or 803-533-5551. Check out Zaleski on Twitter at @ZaleskiTD. Get the daily forecast and severe weather alerts in your inbox! Staff Writer {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.

.