CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - An area of showers and storms over the Bahamas is continuing to slowly organize itself but should stay off South Carolina’s shores.
Live 5 News Chief Meteorologist Bill Walsh said the area of low pressure is getting better organized with a now 50% chance of tropical development over the next five days, and a 30 percent chance of formation through the next 48 hours.
"Regardless of whether it does form, most of that should stay offshore," Walsh said Thursday night.
Current forecast models show a trend where the system shifts away from the South Carolina coastline as a cold front pushes it off the coast.
"So there's some good timing with that cold front," Meteorologist Stephanie Sine said."We're definitely thankful for that. We'll take a cold front over a tropical system any day."
That cold front will increase rain chances thorough the weekend, especially on Sunday, which will bring some lower temperatures with highs in the mid to high 80s and lows in the 70s.
System becoming better organized
Officials with the National Hurricane Center say that the area of disorganized showers and thunderstorms over the Bahamas extend for a few hundred miles.
“Environmental conditions are forecast to be conducive for additional development during the next several days, and a tropical depression could form over the weekend or early next week while the system moves near the coast of east-central Florida and then offshore of the southeast United States coast,” NHC officials said.
Forecasters say regardless of development, heavy rains are possible over portions of the central and northwest Bahamas, and the east-central and southeast Florida peninsula during the next few days.
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