The National Hurricane Center in Miami warned of the possibility of localized flooding along the Carolina coast through Sunday morning. By late Saturday night, Colin had weakened to a tropical depression, and forecasters ended their tropical storm warning for parts of the North Carolina coast. At 11 p.m. EDT Saturday, the center of the storm was about 15 miles north of Wilmington, North Carolina, with maximum sustained winds of 35 mph. It was moving northeast at 7 mph. The storm is expected to weaken further and be completely eliminated by Sunday night or Monday morning. Colin has weakened further and is now a tropical depression with no re-intensification expected. Hence, ALL TROPICAL STORM WARNINGS HAVE BEEN CANCELED. pic.twitter.com/ykdDJjiWeT — NWS Newport/Morehead (@NWSMoreheadCity) July 3, 2022 “Colin will continue to produce locally heavy rainfall over coastal areas of North Carolina through Sunday morning, where an additional 1 to 2 inches of rainfall is possible,” the center said. Some Fourth of July celebrations planned for Saturday in Charleston, South Carolina, were canceled after significant water pooled on the field at Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park. and more rain was expected. “Obviously, we’re disappointed,” said Scott Watson, the city’s director of cultural affairs. “This promised to be a great family event and we hate having to cancel.” This GOES-East geochromic image provided by NOAA shows Tropical Storm Colin on July 2, 2022 at 11:30 AM. Organizers were also forced to cancel a festival planned in Southport, North Carolina. “The safety of Festival patrons, vendors, volunteers, emergency workers and everyone is our highest priority,” said Festival spokeswoman Trisha Howarth. Separately, the center of Tropical Storm Bonnie moved into the Pacific on Saturday after a rapid track across Central America, where it caused flooding, downed trees and forced thousands of people to flee Nicaragua and Costa Rica. There were no immediate reports of deaths. People are trapped during flash flooding amid Tropical Storm Bonnie in San Salvador, El Salvador, July 2, 2022. REUTERS By Saturday evening, Bonnie was centered about 165 miles south of San Salvador, El Salvador, with maximum sustained winds of 60 mph. It was moving west at 17 mph. It is one of the rare storms to cross from the Atlantic to the Pacific without losing tropical storm strength, thus retaining its name. Forecasters said Bonnie was likely to become a hurricane by Monday off Mexico’s southern coast, but was unlikely to make landfall immediately. Many Nicaraguans still remember Hurricane Joan, a powerful 1988 storm that wreaked havoc on the coast and caused nearly 150 deaths in the country. “We’re waiting for the storm to hit, hoping it doesn’t destroy our area,” said Bluefields resident Ricardo Gomez, who was 8 years old when Joan hit, before Bonnie arrived. A passerby walks past a damaged vehicle during flash flooding caused by Tropical Storm Bonnie in San Salvador, El Salvador, July 2, 2022. REUTERS The region was also hit by two powerful hurricanes, Eta and Iota, in quick succession in 2020, causing an estimated $700 million in damage. Officials in Costa Rica expressed concern that the storm would trigger landslides and flooding in an area already saturated by days of rain. The government said seven shelters in the north of the country were already hosting nearly 700 people displaced by the floods.
