Tropical Storm Bonnie weakened to a tropical depression Sunday morning as reached the U.S. southeast coast, soaking eastern Georgia and portions of the Carolinas in areas crowded with tourists on the Memorial Day weekend.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center said the centre of the storm made landfall just east of Charleston, South Carolina, on the Isle of Palms around 8:30 a.m. ET.
Forecasters say up to 200 millimetres of rain have fallen in parts of southern South Carolina. A flash flood warning was issued for Jasper County, where highway workers reported water to part of Interstate 95. About 75 millimetres inches of rain fell in Charleston in 24 hours and more is expected, according to the National Weather Service.
An overturned truck was found in Rocky Creek, Texas. (Timothy Hurst/College Station Eagle via Associated Press)
A flash flood warning was also issued for portions of Charleston, Dorchester, Beaufort and Berkeley counties.
Farther north, up to 75 millimetres of rain was expected across southeastern North Carolina.
On Saturday, heavy rain and dangerous surf kept people off the Georgia, South Carolina and southern North Carolina beaches. No evacuations had been ordered.
Officials in Charleston were monitoring the winds. The area has 15 bridges over water that are closed when winds get 64 km/h or above.
Forecasters said an isolated tornado or two will be possible early Sunday over the immediate coastal region from central South Carolina through southern North Carolina.
Dangerous driving in Myrtle Beach
Near Myrtle Beach, authorities said they were worried mostly about heavy rain causing dangerous driving conditions as thousands of bikers and their motorcycles make their annual trip to the area.
The first Atlantic storm of 2016 was Hurricane Alex, which made an unseasonable debut in January over the far eastern Atlantic. The storm was the first hurricane to form in the Atlantic in January since 1938 and made landfall in the Azores on Jan. 15.
At least three people were still missing Sunday after torrential rain in Texas and Kansas flooded rivers, washed out roads and left four people dead.
In Kansas, the search for a missing 11-year-old boy was suspended late Saturday because of darkness and fatigue of first responders, according to Wichita Fire Department battalion chief Scott Brown. The boy was swept away in the swollen Gypsum Creek in south Wichita on Friday night.
“We are more in body recovery mode than rescue,” Brown said. Recovery efforts would resume at first light on Sunday, he said.