Chantal Develops as a Tropical Storm Near South Carolina

On Saturday morning, Tropical Storm Chantal emerged approximately 150 miles from South Carolina's shoreline, leading to the issuance of tropical storm warnings for certain areas in the Carolinas.

According to reports, the storm's position was determined to be south-southeast of Charleston, South Carolina, and it was around 240 miles from Wilmington, North Carolina, moving at a pace of about 2 mph with sustained winds reaching 40 mph.

Meteorologists anticipate that the storm will change direction towards the northeast by the evening of Sunday, with its core predicted to pass over South Carolina's coast on the same day.

The National Weather Service has conveyed that Chantal is likely to gain strength before making landfall.

Tropical storm warnings extend from South Santee River in South Carolina to Cape Fear in North Carolina. Additionally, a watch has been declared from Edisto Beach to the South Santee River.

Projections suggest that Chantal will bring substantial rainfall to parts of the Carolinas' coastal plains until Monday, with expected precipitation ranging from two to four inches, and isolated areas experiencing up to six inches, potentially triggering flash floods.

The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, with the highest likelihood of activity occurring from mid-August to mid-October.

There is a 60% probability of experiencing an 'above-normal' hurricane season in the Atlantic, with experts predicting 13 to 19 named storms. Out of these, six to ten might evolve into hurricanes, and three to five could upgrade to major hurricanes.