GEORGIA, United States (Reuters) — Stormy weather in the Southeast and Central United States subsided on Sunday (May 29) as Tropical Storm Bonnie was downgraded to a tropical depression, but still caused major flooding in parts of the south.
In Bulloch County, Georgia, the Department of Transportation put up signs and warned residents not to drive in flooded areas.
Bonnie came ashore just northeast of Charleston, South Carolina, on Sunday morning, bringing heavy rains, minor flooding and sustained winds of about 30 miles per hour (48.2 km per hour).
The system, the first tropical storm to reach the United States this year, dumped 3 to 4 inches (7 – 10 cm) of rain in many parts of South Carolina and triggered flooding in low-lying areas and streets at high tides, weather forecasters said.
In the Beaufort area, south of Charleston, 8 to 10 inches (20 – 25 cm) of rain fell, according to the National Weather Service in Charleston.
Before a slow weakening on Monday, the system is expected to deposit several inches of rain in central and eastern South Carolina to the Georgia border, and 1 to 3 inches (2.5 – 7 cm) farther north across southeastern North Carolina, the center said.
Forecasters warned that the storm would likely produce dangerous surf and rip currents along the U.S. Southeast coast, a particular concern during the long Memorial Day weekend, when swimmers and surfers typically flock to beaches.
Heavy rain in the Houston, Texas, area prompted the evacuation on Sunday of two prisons in nearby Rosharon as the Brazos River is expected to reach historic levels, said a statement from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
Searches were under way in Texas and Kansas for three people swept away by floods.
