SAVANNAH, Ga. () — Showers and storms took a bit longer to get going Sunday, some bringing very heavy rainfall rates in excess of two inches per hour.

Some spots received a quick one to two inches of rainfall on saturated ground which led to trouble spots on roadways. Remaining storms will wind down shortly after sunset.

Overnight, expect a warm and muggy one with temperatures in the low and mid 70s out the door on Monday. Patchy fog is possible for any early commute due to how waterlogged the ground is.

Drier air working into the region will help bring lots of sunshine to the area Monday. With that, expect a very hot one as cloud cover and rain chances will be limited. At best, there will be the chance for a few spotty showers during the afternoon.

Tuesday and Wednesday feature partly cloudy skies and the chance for stray storms. A distant Hurricane Erin will keep northeasterly winds in play which will help any rainmakers move quickly.

The 5 PM update on Hurricane Erin has the storm as a Category 3 with 125 mph winds. The storm is making its turn to the north and bringing tropical storm force winds to the Southeast Bahamas along with the Turks and Caicos. 

Erin will have another shot at intensifying tonight but over the course of the week, the system will grow in size and bring a tremendous windfield into the Western Atlantic, well offshore.

Locally, indirect impacts are expected with dangerous surf and a high risk for life-threatening rip currents. Swimmers should be very cautious entering the water, if it isn’t already closed to swimmers. Breaking waves taller than 5 feet will be great for surfers, but should not be surfed if you’re not experienced.

On our local waters, waves of five to eight feet have required a Small Craft Advisory to be in place from 4 am Tuesday through at least 8 pm Thursday. Winds offshore may reach 25 kt at times Tuesday through Thursday.

In other tropical news, an area of low pressure may develop between Africa and the Caribbean over the next 7 days. It has 40% odds of becoming a tropical depression or named storm. There is a lot of time to watch this and we will keep you posted.