Subtropical Storm Beryl forms off S.C. coast

MIAMI?? Tropical storm warnings were issued from northeast Florida to South Carolina as a cluster of storms gathered strength Saturday and was expected to become Tropical Storm Beryl over the Memorial Day weekend.

The system's maximum sustained winds were at 45 mph. But they are expected to increase as the system, now Subtropical Storm Beryl, moves over the Atlantic.

Gusts up to 55 mph and 2 to 4 inches of rain were predicted.

Tropical-storm force winds extend 115 miles out from the system's center.

The system was about 240 miles from Charleston, S.C., at 8 a.m. ET and was swirling toward the Southeast coast, the National Hurricane Center said in a public advisory notice.

"A little strengthening is possible during the next day or so," it added.

The storm is forecast to eventually turn back toward the Atlantic and away from the Gulf of Mexico, where U.S. oil and gas operations are clustered.?

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Subtropical storms usually have a broader wind field than tropical storms and their shower and thunderstorm activity is more removed from the storm's center.

A tropical storm warning was issued for an area stretching from northeast Florida to South Carolina. The warning means that tropical storm conditions are expected within the area over the next 36 hours.

Meteorologists said to expect heavy rain and higher than normal tides and rip currents, Jacksonville, Fla. TV channel WJXT reported.

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Beryl was moving north but expected to veer west-southwest or southwest on Saturday, the hurricane center said. The storm's center is expected to be near or over the Southeastern U.S. coast on Sunday, it said.

Beryl is the second named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which officially runs from June 1 to November 30, although it is not uncommon for storms to form outside that time frame.

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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