RICHMOND, Va. (WTVR) – Tropical storm Alberto formed Saturday afternoon off the coast of South Carolina. Winds near the center ranged from 45 to 60 mph during Saturday evening.
The storm’s center developed a little over 100 miles east-southeast of Charleston, SC. It has drifted to the southwest, and was located offshore of the Georgia/Florida border. However, the storm will begin to track to the northeast Monday. The center should stay well east of the Outer Banks.
Other than some increased surf and gusty breezes along the Outer Banks, there will be no major impact to North Carolina. Alberto will not affect our local weather. (The unsettled weather in the area is from a different storm system.)
The Atlantic Basin hurricane season doesn’t “officially” begin until June 1. Alberto is the earliest formed storm since 2003. And, this is the first time on record that storms have “jumped the gun” in both the Eastern Pacific and the Atlantic basins before their respective seasons begin. Tropical Storm Aletta formed early this week in the East Pacific, a day before the start of that basin’s season on May 15, but has since dissipated.
Click here for the latest forecast track for Alberto from the CBS 6 Hurricane Tracker
This is a satellite snapshot from when Alberto formed Saturday afternoon.
