Tropical Storm Chantal expected to make landfall in South Carolina
A tropical depression changed into Tropical Storm Chantal on Saturday, July 5, and AccuWeather said it’s expected to make landfall in South Carolina on Sunday, July 6. The South Carolina Emergency Management Division said Chantal will bring heavy rain, isolated flash floods, gusty winds and rip currents through Monday, July 7.
Accuweather, which has been monitoring the zone since mid-June, said wind gusts of at least 40 miles per hour are expected along the coast of South Carolina and southern North Carolina. In addition, there’s a possibility of isolated tornadoes in the area going into Sunday, July 6, the National Weather Service (NWS) said.
The NWS on Saturday said the storm’s total rainfall is expected to be 2 to 4 inches, while local amounts could reach 6 inches. Areas that are normally dry near the coast could be flooded because of rising waters moving in from the shoreline.
A zone of clouds and downpours with “locally gusty winds” could start to move along the mid-Atlantic coast early next week, according to current indications by Accuweather. While this could limit a “building area of heat” in the Midwest, AccuWeather stated that heat could be enhanced over the Appalachians.
“Steering breezes will likely guide the tropical system northwestward and then northward during the weekend to early next week,” AccuWeather’s lead hurricane expert Alex DaSilva said. “How long it is able to remain over water may determine how strong it is able to become in terms of winds and extent of heavy rain.”
The 2025 Atlantic hurricane season has seen three named tropical storms so far: Chantal, Andrea and Barry. Forecasters already predicted it could be an especially active 2025 storm season. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said in its annual outlook in May that it anticipates 13 to 19 storms this year, compared to the seasonal average of 14.
Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
