Tropical Storm Warning Posted For Parts of the Carolinas for Disturbance Offshore

MIAMI (AP) -- A tropical storm warning has been issued for a stretch of the Southeast seacoast from a disturbance that is likely to become a tropical storm in the coming hours, forecasters said Sunday night.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said the storm system has been moving erratically off South Carolina and was likely to become a named tropical storm sometime during the night or day Monday.

A tropical storm warning has been issued from Edisto Beach, South Carolina, to Ocrakoke Inlet near the southernmost extreme of North Carolina's Outer Banks. The 7 p.m. EDT hurricane center advisory said some strengthening was possible before the storm's expected landfall early in the week within the warning area.

The low-pressure system was centered Sunday night about 140 miles (225 kilometers) east-southeast of Charleston, South Carolina. It had maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (75 kph) and was moving to the northwest at 7 mph (11 kph), forecasters said.

The storm was expected to dump 3 to 6 inches (7.5 to 15 centimeters) of rain around the region and up to 8 inches (20 centimeters) in isolated spots. Forecasters said the heaviest rain was expected in the far northeast of South Carolina and along North Carolina's coastal plain. It added the rainfall could lead to isolated and scattered flash and urban flooding as well as minor river flooding. Forecasters also said the Southeast coast could expect rough surf over the next few days.