Julia strengthens again into tropical storm

Julia has once again strengthened into a tropical storm as it meanders off the coast of the Carolinas. The National Hurricane Center in Miami said Julia’s maximum sustained winds at 5 p.m. EDT on Thursday were 40 mph (about 65 kph). The storm is centered about 175 miles (about 280 kilometers) southeast of Charleston, South Carolina and 150 miles (about 240 kilometers) southeast of Wilmington, North Carolina. Julia is moving at a speed of 8 mph (13 kph) and is forecast to continue drifting off the Carolinas for the next few days. It currently is posing no threat to land.

The tropical depression that was once Tropical Storm Julia is expected to meander off the South Carolina coast and dissipate by early next week.

The National Hurricane Center issued an advisory saying the depression’s maximum sustained winds at 11 a.m. EDT Thursday were about 35 mph (56 kph). Julia was centered about 125 miles (200 kilometers) south-southeast of Charleston.

The depression was moving east at 8 mph but was expected to slow later Thursday and then have an erratic motion into Saturday.

There were no coastal warnings or watches posted because of the storm.

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7:50 a.m.

Flood watches have been dropped along the South Carolina coast now that Tropical Storm Julia has weakened to a tropical depression and is offshore.

Street flooding caused a handful of downtown streets in Charleston to be closed Wednesday. All the streets had reopened by rush hour Thursday morning.

Many areas along the South Carolina coast saw more than 2 inches of rain during the storm on Wednesday, but nowhere near the 6 inches to 8 inches that had earlier been forecast.

The National Weather Service says the Charleston area may see shallow coastal flooding Thursday with the storm offshore. There’s also a danger of rip currents through Thursday night.

What is left of the storm is expected to meander offshore before dissipating in the next couple of days.

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4:50 a.m.

Julia has weakened to a tropical depression off the coast of Georgia and South Carolina, where it’s expected to meander for the next few days, dumping rain, but not posing major threats.

The depression’s maximum sustained winds early Thursday had decreased to near 35 mph (56 kph) with little change in strength forecast over the next two days. As of 5 a.m. EDT Thursday, Julia is centered about 60 miles (96 kilometers) south-southeast of Charleston, South Carolina.

Meanwhile, a new tropical depression has formed far out over the Atlantic and is moving west. The depression’s maximum sustained winds are near 35 mph (56 kph) with little change in strength expected over the next two days. It’s centered about 365 miles (587 kilometers) west-northwest of the Cabo Verde Islands.

Elsewhere, Tropical Storm Ian is moving north in the central Atlantic but still is no threat to land.