SAVANNAH, Ga. () — Periods of rain showers with very occasional rumbles of thunder brought a gloomy and soggy scene for much of Saturday. 

Rainfall rates were more manageable during the afternoon into the early-evening, compared to the heavy rain in the morning, leading to limited flooding concerns.

Passing showers continue overnight with very slim chances of a thunderstorm or two. Sunday will continue the theme of mild temperatures and unsettled weather.

Overnight and especially Sunday, localized flooding concerns return with our area under a Medium Risk for flash flooding. Keep an eye to the sky with any outdoor activities and use caution with any travel due to the possibility of flooded roadways.

A few rounds of heavy thundershowers are expected Sunday with some guidance bringing activity in as soon as sunrise. Most of the day will feature on/off showers following the initial round of widespread rain and storms. 

Expect Monday to feature more of the same, albeit with more peeks of sunshine leading to slightly-warmer temperatures and more opportunity for storms.

High pressure will settle into the Southeast US as we work toward the middle of the week. This will bring back sunshine, hot temperatures, and return rain chances to typical afternoon storms.

The tropics are heating up, as typical for early-to-mid August. There are two tropical waves under investigation by the National Hurricane Center.

Invest 96-L has struggled amidst the dry air and Saharan Dust. Odds of this system developing into a tropical depression or named storm have dipped to 20% over the next 7 days. The system will continue to move northwestward and stay well away from our area.

Invest 97-L is the newest tropical wave to move off of Africa. This disturbance is fairly well-organized for this stage in the game. The NHC is giving the system a 60% chance of developing over the next 7 days. Computer models are very aggressive with this system, likely strengthening it into a formidable tropical storm or hurricane over the Central Atlantic.

What we know about this system is that it will move west-northwestward over the Atlantic Ocean at about 10-15 mph, it has a long road ahead of it due to the dry air over the basin, and it is a week away from even nearing the Caribbean.

The fact that the system does not have a closed center and is not a depression or named storm means we do not know the exact details yet. The next name on the list is “Erin.”

Also, computer models become less clear after about 7-10 days. Essentially, the system’s strength and track coupled with areas of high pressure will help steer the system next week into next weekend.

Some computer models harmlessly turn the system out to sea well east of the United States. Other data suggests the system will travel farther west before making the turn. The range of possibilities remains wide and nothing can be locked in yet.

The bottom line is any idea of the long-term track is not settled yet and you need to check back for updates. This is a good time to evaluate your hurricane plan and check on your kit of supplies.

There are currently no imminent tropical threats for the Coastal Empire & Lowcountry.