Chilly, rainy, windy weather to persist in Rock Hill area through Monday

A chilly, rainy, breezy Monday will set the stage for what could be a wetter, windier and perhaps stormy night across the Rock Hill area, thanks to Tropical Storm Irma.

Irma, downgraded to a tropical storm Monday morning, was expected to move northwest across southwest Georgia and Alabama, eventually crossing into western Tennessee.

With tropical storm-force winds extending 400 miles from the center of the storm Monday morning, National Weather Service meteorologists say Irma’s impact will be felt in the Rock Hill area.

Rain moved into the Rock Hill area Monday morning and was expected to intensify by mid to late afternoon. Temperatures in the mid 60s and a northeast breeze of 10-20 mph made for a raw day, especially at this time of year.

As the center of Irma pushes farther to the northwest, conditions are forecast to deteriorate Monday night and early Tuesday.

The rain is expected to get heavier, with 1-2 inches falling overnight in the Rock Hill area. Winds will gust to near 40 mph, forecasters say, and there will be a small threat of a few tornadoes developing. Temperatures could actually rise a few degrees overnight, as a more tropical air mass moves into the area.

A Wind Advisory is posted for the entire area until early Tuesday.

“Gusty winds will blow around unsecured objects,” said Jake Wimberley, of the National Weather Service office in Greer. “Tree limbs could be blown down, and a few power outages are possible.”

Stronger winds are expected to the west of the Rock Hill area, and a High Wind Warning is posted from Cherokee County westward.

The rain is expected to taper off Tuesday morning, although a few showers and thunderstorms could linger into Tuesday afternoon. Total rainfall from the system is expected to be about 1.5 inches in the Rock Hill area.

Once Irma’s threat is gone, the region will return to more seasonable conditions. After several weeks of below-average temperatures, highs for the rest of the week are forecast to climb into the low and mid 80s.

This story was originally published September 11, 2017 at 11:37 AM with the headline "Chilly, rainy, windy weather to persist in Rock Hill area through Monday."