System off NC coast wraps up Tuesday with rain, strong winds

A system that developed off the coast of Georgia began moving up the coast Monday morning and is expected to bring some rain to North Carolina through Tuesday.

A tropical storm watch was issued for the entire North Carolina coast Sunday evening, but that was expanded to a tropical storm warning for parts of the coast Monday afternoon.

"We will get a little bit of a break from the rain on Wednesday," WRAL Chief Meteorologist said.

The system on Monday night had moved closer to North Carolina but was rather unorganized and did not have the closed circulation necessary to make a tropical storm. Although winds had exceeded 39 mph, the storm had not been named Monday afternoon because of the lack of circulation. "At this point, it looks much less likely that this will organize enough to get a name and become a tropical storm," said Gardner.

It will feel very fall-like on Tuesday, with high temperatures topping out in the low 70s. Gardner said a northeasterly wind will make it feel rather cool in the Triangle.

A wind advisory has been issued for dozens of counties, including Johnston, Cumberland and Harnett counties, from 8 p.m. Monday night trough 8 p.m. Tuesday night. Gardner said counties under the advisory could see wind gusts between 25 mph and 45 mph.

By Tuesday afternoon, the rain should slow down, and by the evening, the system should be pulling away completely. Wednesday will be dry before remnants from Tropical Storm Harvey cause more rain to affect the Triangle this weekend.

Even if the system doesn't develop into Tropical Storm Irma, it will have some impact on the coastal region. On Monday, officials in several coastal counties were warning residents to take precautions ahead of the storm. Residents are advised to secure lawn furniture and outdoor grills and prepare for possible power outages and localized flooding.

According to WRAL meteorologist Mike Moss, there is a 30 to 60 percent of the system producing tropical storm force sustained winds along the central and northern coast. "There may be bands or pockets of rain in those areas that reach about 2 to 5 inches, mainly falling this morning and into the early afternoon before the system moves away," said Moss.

"Many North Carolinians are still recovering from Hurricane Matthew's devastation last fall and we've watched sympathetically over the past few days as Texans struggle with the impact of Hurricane Harvey," said Gov. Roy Cooper. "While this storm is not predicted to be that severe, we want everyone to take it seriously and ensure your family is prepared."

The director of ocean rescue said there were red flag conditions in place Monday afternoon, meaning people are advised to stay out of the water.

"We coordinate with the National Weather Service twice a day and we look at the swell, the wind and what's going on in the forecast not only now but what's going to happen in the future of what type of conditions we're going to have the next day," said Ocean Rescue Director Dave Baker.

"We have reports of minor issues, limited to limbs in roads and standing water in our usual suspect areas," said Steven Still, 911 Director in New Hanover County. "The Flash Flood Watch has been discontinued since we are expecting less rainfall as the low moves by."

Ocean rescue, fire rescue and the police chief in Wrightsville Beach said they're expecting the storm to be a wind and rain event with some flooding, but they want residents to remain vigilant over the next several hours. "Outside of being in the water, it could be flooding, I think, unless we get really strong winds where you have flying debris," said Wrightsville Police Chief Daniel House. "When the water rises, people like to drive through it, which causes problems and of course somebody could get hurt or killed doing something like that."

School in New Hanover County have announced they will be operating on a two-hour delay Tuesday as a result of the storm.