Tropical Storm Chantal Forms Off Georgia, Does New Jersey Have to Worry?

Following massive fireworks displays and an abundance of hamburgers and hot dogs for the 4th of July, forecasters are now keeping an eye on Tropical Storm Chantal.

Tropical Depression #3 was upgraded to Tropical Storm Chantal at 8:00 Saturday morning as maximum sustained winds reached 40 MPH.

The storm was located 150 miles SSE of Charleston, SC, or about 240 miles away from Wilmington, NC, and it's drifting to the north at only 2 MPH.

Chantal is the third-named storm of the 2025 hurricane season; here's a quick recap:

Tropical Storm Andrea

Tropical Storm Andrea was named on June 24th after an area of low pressure became better organized about 1,200 miles west of the Azores. The system degenerated into a remnant low the following day.

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Tropical Storm Barry

Tropical Storm Barry was named on June 29th about 90 miles ESE of Tuxpan, Veracruz. Within a matter of hours, Barry's circulation soon dissipated over the mountains of northeastern Mexico.

Tropical Storm Chantal - The Latest

Forecasters say Chantal should only slightly strengthen during the day Saturday before making landfall in the greater Myrtle Beach, SC, area around lunchtime Sunday.

From there, the system is expected to weaken to a tropical depression or remnant low and curve to the northeast, headed toward the Norfolk-Virginia Beach area by around midday Monday.

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Tropical systems, even relatively weak ones, almost always contain huge amounts of rain, so those in the eastern Carolinas and Tidewater of Virginia should expect several inches of rain.

So, will Chantal impact New Jersey in the coming days?

Depending on exactly where the remnants of Chantal go after Monday, its impacts on New Jersey, as of now, appear to be relatively minimal.

Much of next week will certainly feel very tropical and July-like in the Garden State, with dewpoint and humidity levels taking a noticeable leap. That moisture-laden air could cause some heavy downpours in any showers and thunderstorms that develop.

Long story short, as of Saturday morning, it appears that Tropical Storm Chantal's direct impacts on the Garden State will be minimal, but keep your umbrella handy.

As always, forecasts change and our Chief Meteorologist, Dan Zarrow, will be watching everything very carefully.