Tropical Storm Cristobal forms off coast

Despite the area being under a tropical storm warning, some locally heavy rain is about all forecasters expect from Tropical Storm Cristobal, which formed Saturday off the coast of South Carolina.

The National Hurricane Center reported maximum winds of the storm at 45 mph at 5 p.m. Saturday, with higher gusts associated with the storm. However, the current forecast track keeps the storm — and the highest winds — off the coast. Some tropical storm winds of 40 mph or higher are possible in the warning area, which includes Onslow and Carteret counties.

The counterclockwise circulation of the storm is spinning rain showers and thunderstorms into the area, and that should continue through Sunday.

As of 5 p.m. Saturday, Cristobal was east of Charleston, S.C., over the Atlantic Ocean, about 205 miles southwest of Cape Hatteras. Movement is to the northeast at 7 mph. The forecast track shows the center of the storm southeast of Cape Lookout at 8 a.m. Sunday, with continued movement to the northeast.

The National Hurricane Center does not expect landfall from the storm and does not expect significant strengthening over the next couple of days. Though some strengthening is possible, Cristobal is not predicted to become a hurricane as it moves northeast along the coast.

Rain showers were beginning to spread into the area at 5 p.m. Saturday, and on and off showers associated with Cristobal's bands should continue through Sunday, according to the National Weather Service office in Newport.

The National Weather Service is calling for an 80 percent chance of rain Saturday night and a 60 percent chance of rain Sunday. The area could see 3 inches of rain, but forecasters predict the highest winds at only 30 mph. Higher rainfall amounts, as much as 5 inches, are possible in isolated areas.

The system began to develop Thursday off the coast of Florida. It became better organized as it slowly moved northeast along the coast of Georgia Friday.

Despite heavy rain last week, the area remains relatively dry. According to the National Weather Service, rainfall amounts are about 9 inches below average for this time of year.

Red warning flags are flying along the beaches, warning swimmers about rip currents and building waves, which are predicted to increase to 5 to 7 feet during the height of the storm.