Subtropical Storm Beryl swirls toward U.S. southeast coast

May 26, 2012 – FLORIDA – Subtropical Storm Beryl churned toward the U.S. southeast coast on Saturday, threatening heavy rains and dangerous surf on Sunday to northeastern Florida, Georgia and South Carolina, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. Beryl was centered about 230 miles (375 km) east-southeast of Charleston, South Carolina, carrying maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (75 kph). It was moving southwest with tropical storm force winds extending about 115 miles (185 km) from the storm’s center. Tropical storm warnings were in effect for Sunday from the Volusia/Brevard County line in northern Florida to Edisto Beach, South Carolina. Forecasters predict the storm will eventually turn back toward the Atlantic on Monday or Tuesday, posing no threat to oil and gas production facilities in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. The hurricane center said dangerous surf conditions and unusually high tides are possible along the coasts of northern Florida, Georgia and South Carolina over the Memorial Day weekend. Beryl is being called a subtropical storm, which usually have a broader wind field than tropical storms and shower and thunderstorm activity farther removed from the storm’s center. Beryl formed off the South Carolina coast late on Friday and is the second named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which has had an early start. The season officially runs from June 1 to Nov. 30. –Reuters