…BERYL STRONGER…NOW A TROPICAL STORM…

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FROM THE VOLUSIA/BREVARD COUNTY LINE NORTHWARD TO EDISTO BEACH SOUTH CAROLINA

AT 200 PM EDT…1800 UTC…THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM BERYL WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 30.1 NORTH…LONGITUDE 79.9 WEST. BERYL IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST NEAR 10 MPH. A WESTWARD MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH LANDFALL. AFTER LANDFALL…BERYL IS EXPECTED TO MOVE SLOWLY WEST-NORTHWESTWARD AND THEN TURN
NORTHWARD OVER PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST FLORIDA AND SOUTHEAST GEORGIA ON MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT.

SATELLITE IMAGERY INDICATES THAT BERYL HAS STRENGTHENED AND NOW HAS MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS NEAR 65 MPH…WITH HIGHER GUSTS. LITTLE CHANGE IN STRENGTH IS EXPECTED BEFORE LANDFALL. AFTER LANDFALL…BERYL IS FORECAST TO WEAKEN TO A DEPRESSION ON MONDAY.

TROPICAL-STORM-FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 90 MILES…FROM THE CENTER. NOAA BUOY 41012 LOCATED ABOUT 50 MILES…EAST-NORTHEAST OF ST. AUGUSTINE FLORIDA RECENTLY REPORTED
SUSTAINED WINDS OF 43 MPH…69 KM/H WITH A GUST TO 52 MPH. A COASTAL MARINE AUTOMATED OBSERVING SITE AT ST. AUGUSTINE RECENTLY MEASURED A WIND GUST TO 41 MPH.

ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 997 MB…29.44 INCHES.

WIND…TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS WILL BE REACHING THE COAST OF NORTHEAST FLORIDA AND SOUTHEASTERN GEORGIA THIS AFTERNOON AND CONTINUE THROUGH TONIGHT. GUSTS TO HURRICANE FORCE ARE POSSIBLE OVER PORTIONS OF NORTHEASTERN FLORIDA AND SOUTHEASTERN GEORGIA TONIGHT.

STORM SURGE…THE COMBINATION OF A STORM SURGE AND THE TIDE WILL CAUSE NORMALLY DRY AREAS NEAR THE COAST TO BE FLOODED BY RISING WATERS. THE WATER COULD REACH THE FOLLOWING DEPTHS ABOVE GROUND IF THE PEAK SURGE OCCURS AT THE TIME OF HIGH TIDE…COASTAL PORTIONS OF SOUTH CAROLINA…GEORGIA…AND NORTH FLORIDA…1 TO 3 FT. THE DEEPEST WATER WILL OCCUR ALONG THE IMMEDIATE COAST NEAR AND TO THE NORTH OF THE LANDFALL LOCATION…WHERE THE SURGE WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY LARGE WAVES. SURGE-RELATED FLOODING DEPENDS ON THE RELATIVE TIMING OF THE SURGE AND THE TIDAL CYCLE…AND CAN VARY GREATLY OVER SHORT DISTANCES.

SURF…DANGEROUS SURF CONDITIONS…INCLUDING RIP CURRENTS…ARE EXPECTED ALONG THE COAST FROM NORTHEASTERN FLORIDA TO NORTH CAROLINA OVER THE REMAINDER OF THE MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND.

RAINFALL…BERYL IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE TOTAL RAIN ACCUMULATIONS OF 3 TO 6 INCHES ALONG THE SOUTHEASTERN COAST OF THE UNITED STATES FROM NORTHERN FLORIDA THROUGH SOUTHEASTERN NORTH CAROLINA.