Update: Emily, We Hardly Knew Ya

Update (7 p.m.): The National Hurricane Center has officially downgraded Tropical Storm Emily to "a trough of low pressure." The storm is still dropping rain over Hispaniola, but it's no longer considered an organized tropical storm.

Original story is as follows:

Facing dry air and rugged mountain terrain, Tropical Storm Emily could be dying today, forecasters suggest.

The storm, which headed into Haiti and the Dominican Republic slightly unorganized but still packing 50 mph winds, appears to be struggling as it navigates mountain peaks near 10,000 feet, said Steven Taylor, forecaster with the National Weather Service in Charleston.

Forecasters are just getting data from reconnaissance aircraft studying the tropical storm today, Taylor said. The National Hurricane Center reports on its website that the storm could be a tropical wave by the end of the day.

Locally, emergency workers were ready for some rain and increased ocean rip currents this weekend, but if the storm dissipates today, or even if it lives on, it’s likely not going to be noticed here.

“Even if it continues on its predicted path, it’s going to stay 300 miles or so off the coast of South Carolina,” said Taylor.

There’s still a chance for rough waters and increased ripped currents, if the storm remains on track. But if Hispaniola’s mountains yield a deathblow, the storm may drift over Cuba tomorrow and then fritter out in the Gulf of Mexico, Taylor predicted.

Unfortunately, both scenarios mean no rain for the Lowcountry, which even after recent storms, still remains scornfully dry.