Hurricane Maria is now a Category 2 storm. Will it impact SC?

For the second time this month, eyes turned to a third storm simultaneously spinning in the tropics.

Maria became the 13th tropical storm to be named in the Atlantic when a disturbance north of French Guiana swirled into a depression and then a storm Saturday afternoon.

By Monday, Hurricane Maria had strengthened into a Category 2 storm, with sustained winds of 110 mph, according to the 8 a.m., National Hurricane Center advisory. The storm is expected to become a “dangerous major hurricane” later today.

Maria is moving west-northwest at 12 mph and is heading for the Caribbean islands already ravaged by Hurricane Irma in a path that appeared at first to be similar to her predecessor.

Hurricane Maria, however, is so far a smaller storm in size. Its hurricane-force winds extend about 15 miles from the center, while Irma’s hurricane-force winds extended nearly 60 mph.

But just where Maria will go from there remained a mystery on Sunday.

“Friday, we’ll know by then if it’s going to take a turn out in the Atlantic or if it affects the East Coast,” said Stephen Keebler, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Wilmington, N.C.

Wherever Maria goes, chances are South Carolina will feel it in the surf.

A high rip current risk was in effect Sunday for coastal Horry and Georgetown counties as Hurricane Jose churned well off of the Carolina coast as a category 1 storm lumbering toward the cooler, storm-weakening waters of New England.

Surf conditions are expected to start improving later Tuesday, Keebler said, providing a “brief respite” for the marine community before Maria starts making her splash in the surf midweek.

“The regular forecast looks pretty benign this week,” Keebler said, but “all eyes will continue to be on the tropics.”

At least one storm, however, seems to no longer pack a threat.

With Jose and Maria gaining strength over the weekend, Lee was the “runt of the litter,” Keebler said. The runt had weakened to a tropical depression Sunday morning and is forecast to dissipate in the coming days.

Three storms simultaneously spinning in the tropics is not necessarily a rare sight during peak hurricane season, Keebler said, especially for a season foreseen to be so busy.

This story was originally published September 18, 2017 at 8:49 AM with the headline "Hurricane Maria is now a Category 2 storm. Will it impact SC?."