An area of low pressure that meteorologists have been tracking over the holiday weekend developed into Tropical Storm Chantal Saturday morning.
The storm formed off the coast of northeast Florida and Georgia. Chantal will likely make landfall north of Charleston Saturday night, bringing rain, gusty winds and rip currents to the area. As tropical cyclones go, this storm will be relatively minor and short-lived, according to Frank Strait, severe weather liaison with the S.C. State Climate Office.
Given that the storm will move north after making landfall, Hilton Head won’t see the biggest impacts. The forecast for Beaufort County includes gusty winds along the beaches, likely between 25 and 30 mph, and less than an inch of rain, according to NWS meteorologist Anna Dennis…