By Ray Rivera and Patrick Phillips | September 14, 2020 at 6:37 AM EDT - Updated September 17 at 8:29 AM
CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - Hurricane Sally is slowly moving towards the Gulf Coast at 3 mph as outer rain bands move onshore in the Florida Panhandle late Monday night.
The National Hurricane Center says Sally, a Category 2 Hurricane, is likely to produce extremely dangerous and life-threatening storm surge and flash flooding along portions of the northern Gulf coast.
The eventual remnants of Sally is expected to bring rain to the Lowcountry at the end of this week as it’s expected to move to the east toward the Carolinas.
Live 5 Meteorologist Danielle Prinz said South Carolina is expected to start feeling the effects of Sally on Wednesday with rain, and by Thursday and Friday we could see some heavy rain with 1 to 4 inches in some areas of the state.
The latest forecast model shows most of the heaviest rain occurring in the Upstate.
On Monday night, Hurricane Sally was located about 90 miles east of the Mississippi River. Sally is moving toward the west-northwest at 3 mph, and this motion is expected to continue through Tuesday morning.
Forecasts say a northward turn is likely by Tuesday afternoon, and a slow north-northeastward to northeastward motion is expected Tuesday night through Wednesday night.
“On the forecast track, the center of Sally will move near the coast of southeastern Louisiana tonight and Tuesday, and make landfall in the hurricane warning area Tuesday night or Wednesday,” NHC officials said.
Tropical Storm Vicky
Tropical Storm Vicky, the fifth active named system currently being monitored, is about 455 miles west-northwest of the Cabo Verde Islands. Vicky is moving toward the northwest near 7 mph (11 km/h).
Maximum sustained winds are near 45 mph with higher gusts. Meteorologists said gradual weakening is anticipated, and Vicky is forecast to become a remnant low during the next day or two.
Live 5 Meteorologist Joey Sovine says the last time there were five active named systems at the same time in the Atlantic was in September 1971.
That leaves only the name Wilfred left on the 2020 Atlantic hurricane names list. After that name is used, any future named storms this season will take letters from the Greek alphabet. The only other time that happened was during the 2005 hurricane season, which had six storms named with Greek letters.
Tropical Storm Teddy
Tropical Storm Teddy is forecast to become a hurricane on Tuesday and is expected to gradually strengthen as it turns northwestward on Wednesday.
“This early turn is good news and models are in good agreement,” Live 5 Chief Meteorologist Bill Walsh said late Monday night. “It’s unlikely Teddy will affect land, but we will continue to monitor.”
On Tuesday night, Teddy was about 1,100 miles east of the Lesser Antilles.
Teddy is moving toward the west at 13 mph.
A west-northwestward motion at a slower forward speed is expected overnight through Tuesday night, followed by a northwestward motion Wednesday and Thursday.
Paulette, Rene, other systems still being watched
Forecasters are keeping their eye on two other named systems along with three others that have varying degrees of development potential.
Hurricane Paulette was near Bermuda on Monday where a hurricane warning is in effect. But Paulette is expected to make a turn to the north after its eye passes over Bermuda.
But despite its distance from the U.S. coastline, Paulette was contributing to a higher risk of rip currents off the Lowcountry coast. On Sunday, three people, including two children, were rescued after they were caught in rip currents off Folly Beach. EMS took a woman and a 6-year-old child to the hospital after the incident.
Rene was downgraded to a tropical depression over the weekend and is expected to dissipate into a remnant low by Wednesday.
Forecasters are watching two other systems with a lower chance of development so far.
The first is a weak area of low pressure over the west-central Gulf of Mexico producing limited shower activity. Forecasters say the chance this system would develop into a tropical depression or tropical storm is not likely because of strong upper-level winds. The National Hurricane Center gives it only a 10 percent chance of developing over the next five days.
The second, however, is a tropical wave near the west coast of Africa producing disorganized shower and thunderstorm activity. Environmental conditions may help the wave slowly develop this week as it moves westward at about 10 mph over the far eastern tropical Atlantic. Forecasters say there is a 40 percent chance for development over the next five days.
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