Tropical Storm Imelda brings big waves to North Carolina

Tropical Storm Imelda has formed with conditions expected to bring torrential tropical rainfall to the Bahamas and Cuba. Imelda may also bring tropical storm-force winds to Florida’s East Coast and tropical enhanced rainfall through the Piedmont Triad beginning Monday.Residents in Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina will want to monitor this storm as heavy coastal rain is likely and track changes with higher inland impact may still develop.Tropical Storm Warnings in FloridaThe National Hurricane Center meteorologists are issuing tropical advisories. You can also find tropical advisories in Spanish here. Advisories for the massive Hurricane Humberto can be found here; Hurricane Humberto advisories in Spanish can be found here.From Florida to South Carolina, rainfall up to six inches is possible now through Tuesday. Although track uncertainty remains, heavy rain ahead of future Imelda may develop Monday and continue through early Thursday with 2-4″ totals possible along the southern coast of North Carolina. Periods of scattered showers and storms may bring up to two inch totals for the Eastern Piedmont Triad. Tropical Storm Imelda forms, tracking offshore of Carolinas nowTropical Storm Imelda has formed and will eventually become a Category 1 hurricane; North Carolina inland impacts are lower on the current track for now, but high impacts to the coastal Carolinas are expected as the storm may linger over the warm Gulf Stream current. The storm was much slower in forward speed and growth than the original forecast projections; therefore, National Hurricane Center meteorologists believe a faster turn to the east may occur. This is a better scenario than earlier forecast tracks for the High Country of North Carolina, where residents were concerned for flooding again from a tropical system so close to the date of Helene’s destruction last year, Sept. 26.Tropical Storm Imelda has formed as it moves parallel to the Florida Coastline.By Monday evening, Imelda may become a Category 1 HurricaneBy Tuesday evening, Hurricane Imelda begins moving east-northeast toward Bermuda.On Wednesday evening, it may remain a Category 1 hurricane offshore southeast of Wilmington.On Thursday evening, the storm may roll farther away from the Outer Banks and continue east toward Bermuda as it weakens.The latest official track has the storm remaining just offshore of South Carolina and Georgia while turning east instead of north toward North Carolina. There is still a risk heavy rainfall that may bring life-threatening flash flooding to North Carolina beaches from Monday through Tuesday.Complex weather patternThere is a great deal of complexity in the forecast given the juxtaposition of two tropical systems in close proximity; this lends to lower confidence in tropical tracks beyond 48 hours, however, most spaghetti model plots are taking Imelda away form the coast as Humberto helps steer the storm to the east along with a westward moving upper low-pressure trough on the East Coast.Tropical Advisory: Imelda and Hurricane HumbertoTropical Tracks: Humberto and ImeldaTropical Spaghetti Model Plots: Humberto and Imelda Slideshow: Check out looping satellites and forecast models National Hurricane Center meteorologists are issuing advisories on Tropical Depression Nine and Hurricane Humberto, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have Hurricane Hunters crews flying into the storms to gather more details.The Fujiwhara effect may develop and help steer Imelda away from North CarolinaWhat has become Tropical Storm Imelda and Hurricane Humberto are projected to move between the North Carolina coast and Bermuda. Imelda may ride over the Gulf Stream and influence Humberto’s journey too over the Atlantic. The twin tropical systems may interact with one another and change storm intensities as well as tracks when they approach the Southeast U.S. coast early this coming week. For more about the Fujiwhara effect that occurs when two tropical cyclones are close enough to one another, read Meteorologist Michelle Kennedy’s story here.Forecast ChallengesWe expect a lot of updates to the forecast since Imelda has formed into a tropical storm. This is expected to happen between now and Sunday evening. There are several forecast challenges as we monitor the tropics through the weekend. Challenges include: What happens with the steering currents aloft How much wind shear may impact Nine? What will Humberto’s intensity and forward movement be as Imelda forms from Tropical Depression Nine? Could a surface boundary and a ridge of high pressure keep Imelda near North Carolina’s coast longer and produce more rainfall?Humberto’s swells may reach the Carolinas on MondayThere is a lot of uncertainty about whether Imelda will be close enough to the North Carolina coast to bring major impacts since the storm track is farther south and east. However, coastal impacts from big waves and rip currents are already developing as swells will reach shores in the Carolinas by Monday. Click here for more about tropical impacts expected in North Carolina, maps, models and beach forecasts..Hurricane Humberto becomes second Category 5 hurricane of the 2025 seasonHumberto became a powerful Category 5 hurricane over the open Atlantic on Saturday afternoon with hurricane-force winds of 160 mph extending out 25 miles from the center of the storm and tropical storm-force winds extend 125 miles from the eye. The hurricane is on a west-northwest track moving at 14 mph while Tropical Storm Imelda is moving slowly at north at 9 mph. Areas to Watch in the TropicsOver the next few weeks, the WXII 12 First Warning Weather Team will be focused on three main areas for tropical development:The Gulf: Very warm sea surface temperatures can help fledgling storms explode into monster hurricanes quickly under the right atmospheric conditions.Africa: In late summer, waves of low pressure often move from the Sahara Desert into the eastern Atlantic. They can develop into tropical systems over time. The sub-tropical high-pressure system over the Atlantic will often steer these systems through the tropical Atlantic towards Central America and the United States.Southeast U.S. Coast: Weaker, short-lived storms often form in late summer or fall along the old frontal boundaries. Areas of offshore low pressure can become tropical. These storms can become dangerous quickly because they are so close to the coast.Are you prepared for inland tropical impacts in North Carolina and Virginia?September and October are historically the busiest tropical months for the Carolinas. The 2025 Atlantic hurricane season continues through Nov. 30.Piedmont Triad residents can stay alert, informed and prepared:Know your evacuation routes and have an emergency plan.Monitor the forecasts on WXII 12 News or WXII12.com.Review insurance coverage and protect important documents, especially in light of past flooding events like Helene (2024) and Chantal (2025).Have an emergency preparedness kit: water, batteries, flashlights, and medications in case of power loss.WXII INTERACTIVE STUDIO: EXPLORE MORELanie Pope explains Helene’s massive flooding, why it was potentially a 100-year flood event for the state in the interactive video featured below:It’s the worst of the worst to ever hit North Carolina, as Dylan Hudler explains the names our state will never forget in the interactive video featured below:It’s not just the coast that gets hit with devastating impacts from hurricanes, as Brian Slocum explains, why monster storms leave lasting impacts in the interactive video featured below:Hurricane Hugo brought massive devastation to the Carolinas, as Dave Aiken explains with an in-depth look at the disastrous storm in the interactive video featured below.Find out the best ways to prepare for hurricane season as Michelle Kennedy explains what you can do now instead of waiting to do later in the interactive video featured below:More weather coverage: Weather Alerts | Closing and delays | Latest weather forecast | Post pictures to the uLocal North Carolina Facebook Group | Traffic information | Report closings and delays | SkyCams | Download the WXII12 News mobile app