Julia maintains tropical storm strength off southeast coast
CHARLESTON, S.C. — Julia maintained tropical storm strength Thursday night after earlier weakening to a tropical depression, but forecasters said it would gradually lose steam again while meandering off the coast of the Carolinas.
The storm, which did not deliver the widespread flooding and torrential downpours that were feared earlier in the week, was expected to drift off the coast for the next couple of days, the National Hurricane Center said. No coastal watches or warnings were in effect.
Julia’s maximum sustained winds at 11 p.m. EDT Thursday were 40 mph (about 65 kph). The storm was centred about 190 miles (about 310 kilometres) southeast of Charleston, South Carolina, and 270 miles (about 435 kilometres) southwest of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. It was moving at a speed of 4 mph (7 kph), the centre said.
Flood watches were dropped for the South Carolina coast earlier Thursday, although forecasters issued a small-craft advisory for waters near the shore and said there was a danger of rip currents along the coast through Thursday evening.