UPDATE: Tropical Storm Bonnie Forms Off South Carolina Coast

Editor's note: This story was updated Saturday afternoon, with new information from the National Hurricane Center.

Showers and thunderstorms in the Atlantic have now formed into Tropical Storm Bonnie, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Here's the latest from a 5 p.m. update Saturday from the National Hurricane Center:

• WIND: Tropical storm conditions are expected to first reach the coast within the warning area later Saturday or early Sunday.
• RAINFALL: Bonnie is expected to produce total rainfall accumulations of 1 to 3 inches with maximum totals of 5 inches from eastern South Carolina through southeastern North Carolina.
• STORM SURGE: Storm surge inundation of 1 to 2 feet above ground level is possible within the tropical storm warning area during the next high tide on Sunday morning.
• SURF: Bonnie is expected to produce life-threatening surf and rip current conditions along portions of the southeastern United States coast through the weekend. Please consult your local forecast.
• TORNADOES: An isolated tornado or two will be possible late Saturday and early Sunday over the immediate coastal region from central South Carolina through southern North Carolina.

Just before 5 p.m. Friday, the National Hurricane Center issued a Tropical Storm Warning for the coast of South Carolina from the Savannah River northeastward to Little River Inlet. A Tropical Storm Warning means that tropical storm conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area within 36 hours.

Locally, in the DC metro area, the weather forecast is for sunny skies Saturday, with increasing chances (50-60 percent) for thunderstorms on Sunday afternoon and Monday.

The storm center warns that "all interests along the southeast coast from Georgia through North Carolina should monitor the progress" of the possible storm. AccuWeather notes it could also impact the coastline of southeastern Virginia including Virginia Beach.

Also read: Expect 'Active' Hurricane Season, Latest Report Says

If the storm forms, it would be named Bonnie. The first storm this year was Alex, which formed in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean Jan. 13, became a hurricane on Jan. 14 and dissipated on Jan. 15. Alex was the first January hurricane to occur in the Atlantic since 1955, according to AccuWeather.

The names for hurricanes this season, which officially begins June 1, are:

• Alex
• Bonnie
• Colin
• Danielle
• Earl
• Fiona
• Gaston
• Hermine
• Ian
• Julia
• Karl
• Lisa
• Matthew
• Nicole
• Otto
• Paula
• Richard
• Shary
• Tobias
• Virginie
• Walter

IMAGE: National Hurricane Center map, issued Saturday at 5 p.m.