First tropical storm

First tropical storm of the season forms off S.C

5/19/2012 By Donna Leinwand Leger, USA TODAY

RALEIGH, N.C. —The first tropical storm of hurricane season formed off the coast of South Carolina on Saturday afternoon, the National Hurricane Center said.

A ship near the center of the storm reported pressure data that indicates the storm's wind speed is 60 mph, the National Hurricane Center said in a 7 p.m. advisory. That speed is about 15 mph stronger than originally reported.
On Saturday evening, Tropical Storm Alberto was 130 miles east of Charleston and 120 miles south of Cape Fear, N.C. It was moving at about 3 mph to the southwest.
National Weather Service meteorologist Sandy LaCorte in Wilmington said the system will continue moving to the southwest before reversing course and heading northeast over the next several days. She said the center of the storm is not expected to get close to the Carolinas' coast.
LaCorte said Alberto will produce increased waves at beaches in the Carolinas. There is a high risk of
rip currents along North Carolina's Outer Banks, and a moderate risk along the southeastern beaches and the entire South Carolina coast. Winds will gust to around 25 mph.
The weather service said there will be isolated and scattered rain showers along the coast of the Carolinas into early next week.
A forecast map by the hurricane center predicts that the storm will drift toward the open sea off the Mid-Atlantic region by midweek, but it's difficult to accurately predict a storm's path days in advance.
The National Hurricane Center is considering a tropical storm watch for a portion of the coast of North and South Carolina for Saturday night. Forecasters expect the storm to strengthen.
The official start to hurricane season is June 1, but tropical storms often occur before then.