Weakened Tropical Depression Ana Remains Minor Threat Along Atlantic Coast

Carolyn Williams
Published: May 11,2015



 
Ana, now a tropical depression, is expected to bring rain and gusty winds to parts of southeast Virginia on Monday.
Before it was downgraded Sunday afternoon, Ana sent pounding surf crashing onto the Carolina coasts.
Ana made landfall near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Sunday morning and kept beachgoers from enjoying the coastline.
Ana, which formed ahead of the official June 1 start of the Atlantic hurricane season, kicked up 11- to 12-foot seas. The dangerous surf was the most troublesome aspect of the storm, but some areas along the Carolina coast quickly picked up 2 inches of rain or more, leading to flooded roadways.
Winds also gusted to 60 mph or higher in places like Ocean Crest Pier and Southport on Sunday, according to local storm reports.
(FORECAST: What's Next for Ana?)

Hazardous conditions forced the North Myrtle Beach Department of Public Safety to ban beachgoers from swimming as Ana threatened the coastline, the Associated Press reported.
A double red flag warning was issued by Horry County Beach Patrol in South Carolina as the Atlantic waters became more hazardous, WIS-TV reported. Despite the warning, several surfers took to the churning waves.
New Hanover County Emergency Management director Warren Lee told the Associated Press, "Beachgoers are encouraged to use extreme caution this weekend. With the elevated risk of rip currents, the best advice is to stay out of the water when the risk for rip currents is the highest and comply with any advisories given by lifeguards."
The University of North Carolina at Wilmington held commencement ceremonies indoors and warned families to take safety precautions when traveling, the Associated Press reported.
A man and woman were stranded after hazardous weather thrust their vessel onto the rocks of the Jetties, piercing their vessel’s hull and filling the craft with water, WCSC-TV reported. Coast Guard Station Charleston dispatched air and boat crews, who successfully rescued the vessel’s occupants. No one was injured.
Ana marked the earliest subtropical or tropical storm to form in the Atlantic since another storm named Ana emerged in 2003. The Atlantic season officially runs from June 1 to Nov. 30, a period experts consider the most likely for tropical activity in the ocean basin.