A tropical depression is in the Atlantic. Here’s what it could mean for the coast this week

A tropical depression could pass near the Grand Strand, potentially bringing rain and unsafe swimming conditions to the South Carolina coast.

Steven Pfaff with the National Weather Service in Wilmington, North Carolina said the National Hurricane Center is expecting the tropical depression to move north along the eastern seaboard. It is expected to be near the Grand Strand early Wednesday morning.

He said the storm will increase the power of rip currents and surf, which could make swimming in the ocean more dangerous Tuesday evening into Wednesday morning.

Two to three inches of rain is also in the forecast, leading to some localized flooding, Pfaff said in the briefing.

There is a small chance tropical storm force winds will impact the area.

A cold front moving into the same area should keep the tropical depression from growing into a bigger storm, Pfaff predicted.

The storm is currently over the Bahamas.

This story was originally published July 22, 2019 at 5:32 PM.