Tropics Have Been Active on Memorial Day Weekend in Recent Years | Weather.com
The Weather Channel

Memorial Day weekend can be active in the tropics even though hurricane season hasn't officially begun.

By

Chris Dolce

May 21, 2018

Memorial Day weekend and hurricane season might not sound like they belong in the same sentence together, but recent years have shown us how the tropics can ruin the unofficial start of the summer.

Two of the past six years have featured landfalling named storms on the southeastern coast of the United States. Given their early-season nature, these systems aren't usually intense, but they can put a damper on holiday plans.

(MORE: Hurricane Season Doesn't Always Begin on June 1)

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2016: Bonnie Soaks the Southeast Coast

Most recently is Bonnie, which strengthened into a tropical storm near the Southeast coast before making landfall as a tropical depression just north of Charleston, South Carolina, the day before Memorial Day in 2016.

Although Bonnie's winds were not a significant threat, it did produce 4 to 10 inches of rain in parts of central and southern South Carolina and eastern Georgia. The rain resulted in flooding for some areas, including in Jasper County, South Carolina, where Interstate 95 had to be closed.

Bonnie also created strong rip currents along the coastal Carolinas and Georgia, resulting in numerous water rescues. One person drowned in rough surf at Carolina Beach, North Carolina.

(MORE: Bonnie Recap)

Tracks of Bonnie (2016) and Beryl (2012), which struck the U.S. over Memorial Day weekend.

2012: Beryl Spoils Memorial Day With Heavy Rain and Strong Winds

Tropical Storm Beryl made landfall near Jacksonville Beach, Florida, just after midnight on Memorial Day 2012. Beryl had maximum sustained winds of 70 mph when it pushed inland, putting it just below hurricane intensity.

Visible satellite of Tropical Storm Beryl as it approached landfall in northeast Florida on Memorial Day weekend 2012. (NASA)

Heavy rain from Beryl caused flooding in parts of northeastern Florida, including in Live Oak, where 15 inches of rain was recorded in less than 24 hours.

Beryl also downed numerous trees from northeastern Florida to southern South Carolina.

The storm had an impact on beachgoers leading up to Memorial Day, with at least 100 rip current rescues reported from northeastern Florida to South Carolina on May 26.

(MORE: Beryl Recap)

Bonnie and Beryl are the most recent examples of tropical systems to strike on Memorial Day weekend, but a couple other named storms occurred farther in the past.

subtropical storm named Alpha made landfall near the border between Georgia and Florida during Memorial Day weekend in 1972.

Before that, Tropical Storm Arlene pushed into Louisiana on May 30, 1959, the day on which Memorial Day was celebrated every year before 1971.

As we turn our attention to the upcoming Memorial Day holiday, there's an area to watch for development in the Gulf of Mexico, but heavy rain will be a threat regardless of what happens. For additional details, see the link below.

(MORE: Heavy Rain a Threat No Matter What Happens in the Gulf This Weekend)