Tropical Storm Bonnie Recap

With Bonnie departed, the Outer Banks and adjacent areas of eastern North Carolina can finally dry out.

Billy Mitchell Airport in Hatteras, North Carolina, picked up 13.95 inches of rain from May 30 through June 2.

According to the Southeast Regional Climate Center, this was the sixth heaviest four-day rain event on record, there, heaviest since 1949.

The heavy downpours lead to street flooding in parts of the Outer Banks, with water up to the wheel wells on some cars.

Recap

Tropical Storm Bonnie may not have been a strong tropical cyclone, but its heavy rain triggered significant flash flooding on Memorial Day weekend 2016.

(MORE: News Impacts From Bonnie)

Bonnie made landfall just east of Charleston, South Carolina, on the Isle of Palms around 8:30 a.m. Sunday, May 29, as a tropical depression.

This was the second straight season a named tropical cyclone made landfall in the Carolinas in the month of May. On Mother's Day weekend 2015, Tropical Storm Ana soaked parts of the Carolinas, as well.

(MORE: Hurricane Central)

Bands of heavy rain caused flash flooding in South Carolina on Sunday. Part of Interstate 95 southbound was closed for the majority of the day Sunday. Parking lots were flooded and numerous cars were stranded near Archdale, South Carolina. Water also entered a residence near Ridgeland, South Carolina, and near Switzerland, South Carolina.

Here are a few rainfall totals through Monday morning:

• 10.43 inches near Ridgeland, South Carolina
• 9.99 inches in Hatteras, North Carolina
• 8.85 inches at Burton's Ferry Landing, Georgia
• 5.27 inches at Charleston, South Carolina

Wind was not a major issue with Bonnie. A wind gust of 40 mph was measured at the Charleston International Airport just before 9 a.m. Sunday morning.

Over the past week, we watched this weather system slowly gain organization. On May 27, the Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunters found that former "Invest 91L" had both a closed circulation - enough west and northwest winds - and sufficiently robust thunderstorm activity near that low-pressure center to designate it a tropical depression.

(MORE: What is an "Invest"?)

The National Hurricane Center named Tropical Storm Bonnie on Saturday evening but Bonnie weakened to a tropical depression on Sunday morning. Bonnie continued to weaken and became a remnant low Monday morning.

Rip currents, a particular concern in generally good weather when more beach-goers might be tempted to swim, were spotted over the Memorial Day weekend along the Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina coasts.

Southeast Coast is Typically an Early Season Area to Watch

The area off the Southeast coast, as well as the Gulf of Mexico and northwest Caribbean, is a part of the Atlantic basin where early-season tropical or subtropical storm development is most likely.

That said, it's not a very active time of year for storms to form compared to the peak August-October period. For example, only one named storm forms during June every other year, on average.

(MORE: Where June Storms Develop)

Recent seasons have had activity before the start of June.

Last May, Tropical Storm Ana formed off the Southeast coast before making landfall near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, with minor impacts.

In 2012 two named storms, Alberto and Beryl, formed during May off the Southeast coast. Beryl would go on to make landfall in northeast Florida, while Alberto moved out to sea.

(MORE: When Hurricane Season Starts Early)

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