Storms Imelda, Humberto To Bring Dangerous Surf, Rip Currents: See FL Impacts

Both Tropical Storm Imelda and Hurricane Humberto churned side by side in the Atlantic Ocean off the U.S. East Coast Monday, and Florida could feel the effects from the systems before they turn out to sea, forecasters said.

Humberto is expected to bring tropical storm-force winds to Bermuda by late Tuesday, while Imelda is bringing tropical-storm conditions to parts of the Bahamas on Monday and then Bermuda, according to the National Hurricane Center. Winds in the tropical storm category range from 39 to 73 mph.

Much of the East Coast will see dangerous surf conditions and rip currents from Humberto, which has maximum sustained winds of 140 mph Monday.

Meanwhile, Imelda, which is closer to the coast — just a couple hundred miles off Florida — could bring heavy rains to the coastal Carolinas, including isolated flash and urban flooding, through Tuesday, the NHC said.

In the U.S., 1 to 2 inches of rain could fall from far eastern Florida to coastal North Carolina, AccuWeather said.

There could be 2 to 4 inches of rain from far eastern South Carolina through southeastern portions of North Carolina, as well as up to 8 inches in the hardest hit areas, forecasters said. Lighter rainfall will extend inland across the Carolinas and southeastern Georgia.

Imelda is expected to strengthen into a hurricane as it pulls away from the U.S., Denis Phillips, chief meteorologist for Tampa Bay 28.

The twin storms are playing off each other as they move away from the U.S.

“The rare Fujiwhara Effect between Humberto and Imedla is expected to help spare the southeast U.S. from widespread flooding rainfall. The influence from the much stronger and larger Humberto will tug at Imelda and help pull the storm away from the U.S. and out to sea,” Alex DaSilva, AccuWeather lead hurricane expert, said.

The systems will be less than 600 miles apart at their closest point this week, he added. “It’s quite rare to see the Fujiwhara Effect in the Atlantic basin. The interaction between the two storms should prevent Imelda from making landfall or stalling near the coast, which could have led to days of torrential rainfall and widespread flooding. The impacts could have been catastrophic.”

One death has already been reported in Cuba, where state media said that 60-year-old Luis Mario Pérez Coiterio died in Santiago de Cuba following landslides in that area.

This article includes reporting by The Associated Press.