As of 5pm Sunday evening, Tropical Storm Chris was located about 180 miles SSE of Cape Hatteras, NC. Max sustained winds have increased to 50 mph. Steering currents will remain light for the next day or two, so very little storm motion is expected until late Tuesday. The storm should continue to intensify, likely becoming a hurricane at some point in the next 24-36 hours.

Thanks to a mid-level trough moving through the eastern U.S., Chris should start accelerating to the northeast by late Tuesday or early Wednesday. Although no landfall is expected on the U.S. mainland, the storm will still kick up high surf and dangerous rip currents for beach-goers along the East Coast.

Great news for those in the Caribbean… Beryl continues to lose steam as it nears the Lesser Antilles. The storm no longer has an identifiable low-level center, as wind shear and dry air continue to take their toll. Beryl’s remnants are still producing tropical storm-force winds and heavy tropical downpours as they move into the central Lesser Antilles late Sunday night.

This area of disturbed weather will move through the northeastern Caribbean and into the southwestern Atlantic near the Bahamas over the next few days. It’s possible that Beryl’s remnants will regenerate into a tropical system at that point as conditions become more favorable for development. However, there isn’t a lot of model support for that type of outcome right now.

The system sitting off the Carolina coast has now strengthened into Tropical Storm Chris with 40 mph winds. It is currently sitting over warm water and in an area of moderate shear. It will likely become a hurricane midweek.

Chris will remain stationary over the next few days and finally accelerate to the northeast on Tuesday. Tropical Storm force winds extend out 60 mph, and gale force winds will impact parts of the North Carolina coast. They will also see dangerous surf and rip currents.

Models are in good agreement keeping Chris out over the Atlantic.

Dry air and increased wind shear continue to impact Tropical Storm Beryl, winds are now at 45 mph A reconnaissance aircraft this morning has found Beryl very disorganized, it will gradually weaken over the next 48 hours.

Wind shear increases as Beryl moves WNW into the Lesser Antilles today, lessening the storm’s impact on the area. Beryl will head south of the Virgin Islands and Puerto next week, bringing heavy rain and gusty winds.