ORLANDO, Fla. – Danny has been downgraded from a tropical storm to a depression after it made landfall Monday evening on South Carolina’s coast, threatening to dump several inches of rain on parts of the Southeast as it blusters inland.
Only hours after forming offshore, Danny had top sustained winds of 40 mph as it moved ashore just north of Hilton Head on Pritchards Island, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. It added that Danny was expected to rapidly weaken over land as it heads into the Southeast on a track through parts of Georgia.
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As of about 10:30 p.m., the NHC announced that Danny had weakened to tropical depression status.
The fourth named storm of this Atlantic hurricane season formed close to South Carolina’s coast during the afternoon Monday. Forecasters said it could be a rainmaker as far inland as the north Georgia Piedmont area and in northeast Alabama.
Dangerous surf conditions also were expected along parts of the Southeast seacoast, along with a threat of isolated tornadoes near the coast.
Tropical Depression #Danny Advisory 3: Danny Weakens to a Tropical Depression. Heavy Rains Continue Over Portions of Georgia and South Carolina. https://t.co/VqHn0u1vgc
— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) June 29, 2021
Tropical storm force winds were already recorded Monday afternoon in some spots in South Carolina just hours after Danny formed. A weather station at Folly Beach — just outside Charleston — recorded a wind gust of 41 mph during the day, the Miami-based hurricane center said.
At 8 p.m., the system was centered about 50 miles southwest of Charleston, South Carolina, according to the Miami-based hurricane center said. The system was moving to the west-northwest at 16 mph.
A tropical storm warning was posted earlier Monday from Edisto Beach to South Santee River in South Carolina. The hurricane center said tropical storm conditions were expected to continue in the warning area for a few more hours after landfall.
The storm could produce between 1 and 3 inches of rain with higher amounts in some coastal areas of Georgia and South Carolina. Forecasters said heavier rainfall could occur in some scattered spots but the region has been dry, limiting the potential threat of any widespread flooding.
Danny, the fourth named storm of the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season, will not have a direct impact on Florida.
The next named storm will be called Elsa.
NHC will initiate advisories on Tropical Depression Four, located off the coast of South Carolina, at 1100 AM EDT (1500 UTC).
— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) June 28, 2021
Elsewhere, a broad area of low pressure associated with a tropical wave is producing a small cluster of showers and thunderstorms over the eastern tropical Atlantic Ocean.
Some slow development is possible through the end of the week while this system moves quickly west to west-northwest at about 20 mph, likely reaching the Lesser Antilles late Wednesday.
The system has a 30% chance of tropical development over the next five days.
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