Tropical Storm Warning in Effect for Dare County

Tropical Storm Colin unexpectedly developed overnight off the coast of South Carolina, and the storm is expected to move along or just inland of the North Carolina coast Saturday into Sunday.

A Tropical Storm Warning has been issued for Dare County indicating that the Outer Banks will receive impacts in the next 36 hours, including rain showers with locally heavy rainfall, wind gusts up to 40 mph, and the possibility of isolated tornadoes.

The earliest reasonable time of arrival of tropical-storm-force winds for Eastern NC is Saturday afternoon. 1 to 2 inches of rain is expected, however, isolated higher amounts are possible. Storm surge and oceanside flooding are not expected at this time, but there is a high risk of rip currents for all beaches south of Cape Point in Buxton.

As of 8:00 a.m. on Saturday, the center of Tropical Storm Colin was located 25 miles WSW of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Colin is moving toward the northeast near 8 mph (13 km/h), and this general motion is expected to continue through Sunday.  A turn toward the east-northeast with an increase in forward speed is expected late Sunday and Sunday night.

Maximum sustained winds are near 40 mph (65 km/h) with higher gusts. Little change in strength is forecast during the next couple of days, although Colin is expected to dissipate over the western Atlantic on Monday.

Dare County Emergency Management offers the following tips and resources:  

• View the latest watches, warnings and advisories from the National Weather Service at www.weather.gov/mhx. 

• Be mindful that the threat of rip currents will increase and remain elevated until well after the storm passes, making conditions dangerous for even the most experienced swimmers. For daily beach reports, visit LovetheBeachRespectheOcean.com

• Subscribe to receive emergency alerts directly from Dare County Emergency Management and local towns at www.OBXAlerts.com.

• Keep your cell phone charged with Government Alerts enabled to ensure you receive National Weather Service-issued alerts for life-threatening weather conditions.