Imelda officially forms in Atlantic; Rain and surge possible in Coastal Georgia

Sunday Afternoon Tropical Weather Update

Hurricane Hunters are flying into Tropical Depression Nine looking for tropical storm force winds.

GEORGIA - Editor's note: This video is from an earlier forecast, before the storm was upgraded. 

Tropical Storm Imelda officially formed Sunday afternoon, according to the latest update from the National Hurricane Center. 

Watches and Warnings for Imelda

What we know:

Tropical storm warnings are in effect for the Bahamas.

A tropical storm watch has been posted for Florida’s east coast from Jupiter to just south of St. Augustine. That could mean winds near 40 mph along the Florida coastline through Sunday.

Imelda track

What they're saying:

Forbes said model confidence has increased in the past 24 hours that the storm will turn east before reaching the U.S. coast.

"Yesterday we were talking about a low degree of confidence about this turn. I would say now a medium to high degree of confidence," Forbes explained. "That means we won’t have a landfalling hurricane in the United States, but we still might see some impacts."

The FOX Weather model shows tropical rain bands brushing parts of Savannah, Hilton Head, and Charleston by Sunday afternoon, while the storm itself remains offshore.

Imelda possible effects

What they're saying:

Tropical rains are possible for coastal Georgia and South Carolina. Storm surge could hit, depending on how long the system lingers offshore. The strongest winds and core of the storm are expected to stay out at sea.

"If you have beach plans this week for fall break, this is not a stretch of days to be in the water," Forbes reminded people planning beach trips.

By Thursday or Friday, the system is expected to pull away into the Atlantic and no longer pose a threat to the U.S. mainland.