Tropical storm poses a massive threat to the US East Coast
Severe weather and a tropical storm will hit the Gulf Coast and the eastern United States on Tuesday, bringing dangerous conditions, thunderstorms, and the potential for flash flooding.
As much of the western U.S. remains threatened by excessive heat, the second named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season strengthened off the Eastern Seaboard.
Tropical Storm Bill was expected to dissipate on Wednesday over colder water as it moves north from Nantucket, Massachusetts.
However, the storm will pose a danger to shipping and fishing interests as it churns with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph toward the coast of Nova Scotia.
The National Hurricane Center said that Tropical Storm Bill formed late on Monday and was swirling more than 200 miles off the coastal U.S.
The National Weather Service said that large hail, gusty winds and scattered thunderstorms would impact the coastal Carolinas into Tuesday evening as a midlevel shortwave preceded by a surface cold front crosses through the region.
In addition, the agency said there was a marginal risk of thunderstorms, heavy downpours and isolated flash flooding in the Florida Peninsula.
Tropical Storm Bill is also expected to bring the potential for showers and thunderstorms in the Northeast as fronts move through the area, leading to below-normal temperatures.
According to forecaster AccuWeather, the last system named "Bill" was a tropical storm that hit Texas in June of 2015, taking several lives and causing $36 million in damage.
In May, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) forecasters predicted another "above-normal" season, with a likelihood of 13 to 20 total named storms.
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