Article first published: Monday, Sept. 29, 2025, 4 a.m. ET

Article last updated: Monday, Sept. 29, 2025, 7 p.m. ET

System type: Tropical storm

System name: Imelda

At 7 p.m. Monday, the National Hurricane Center issued an advisory stating that Imelda after it first crossed the Atlantic Ocean and left The Bahamas and headed to the Atlantic Ocean. Tropical Storm Imelda is in the Atlantic Ocean, 120 miles north of Great Abaco Island and 200 miles east of Cape Canaveral Florida. The system, with maximum sustained winds of 65 mph, is moving to the north at 9 mph.

Imelda is forecast to become a hurricane.

Yesterday (Sunday)

The system strengthened enough to get a name: Tropical Storm Imelda. It found new strength and has evolved from a tropical depression into a tropical storm with sustained winds of 65 mph. The system’s new name was first made public in yesterday’s 1 p.m. advisory.

Watches and warnings currently in effect

• Hurricane Watch for Bermuda

• Tropical Storm Warning for Extreme Northwestern Bahamas, including Great Abaco, Grand Bahama Island and the surrounding keys.

Meaning of the different watches and warnings

A Hurricane Watch means that hurricane conditions are possible within the watch area. A watch is typically issued 48 hours before the anticipated first occurrence of tropical-storm-force winds, conditions that make outside preparations difficult or dangerous.

A Tropical Storm Warning means that tropical storm conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area in this for the next few hours.

Hazards affecting land

Wind. Hurricane conditions are possible within the watch area by Wednesday night, with tropical storm conditions possible by Wednesday afternoon.

Tropical storm conditions are occuring in portions of the extreme northwestern Bahamas and should continue for the next few hours.

Rainfall. Tropical Storm Imelda is expected to produce additional rainfall of 1 to 3 inches across the northwest Bahamas through tonight. This rainfall may produce flash and urban flooding.

Storm total rainfall amounts of 1 to 2 inches with local maxima of 4 inches are expected through tonight across northeast Florida, coastal South Carolina, and coastal sections of southeast North Carolina. This rainfall could result in isolated flash and urban flooding.

As Imelda passes near Bermuda, 2 to 4 inches – 50 to 100 mm – of rainfall is expected from Wednesday into Thursday.

For a complete forecast of rainfall and flash flooding associated with Tropical Storm Imelda, please see the National Weather Service Storm Total Rainfall Graphic, available at hurricanes.gov/graphics_at4.shtml?rainqpf and the Flash Flood Risk graphic at hurricanes.gov/graphics_at4.shtml?ero

Storm surge. A storm surge will raise water levels by as much as 1 to 3 feet above ground level along the immediate coast in areas of onshore winds in the northwestern Bahamas. Near the coast, the surge will be accompanied by large waves.

Minor coastal flooding is possible in areas of onshore winds over the Southeastern U.S. coastline. The water could reach the following heights above ground somewhere in the indicated areas if the surge occurs over the next several high tide cycles…

Volusia/Brevard County Line, Florida to the South Santee River, South Carolina…1 to 2 ft

Surf. Swells generated by Tropical Storm Imelda and Hurricane Humberto are affecting the Bahamas and are currently spreading to much of the U.S. east coast. These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.

A depiction of rip current risk for the United States can be found at: hurricanes.gov/graphics_at4.shtml?ripCurrents

Source: National Hurricane Center