Tropical Storm Ana kicks off hurricane season early

The first Atlantic tropical storm of the year is poised to hit the Carolinas by early Sunday.

Tropical Storm Ana kicked off the Atlantic hurricane season three weeks early, the National Hurricane Center said, and was centered about 85 miles southeast of Myrtle Beach, S.C., as of 2 p.m. EDT.

Ana reached maximum winds of 60 mph Saturday morning, the National Weather Service said, and is expected to land near the border of North and South Carolina by Sunday morning.

The storm will cause flooding in normally dry areas near the coast. Eastern portions of North and South Carolina could see between 1 to 3 inches of rain through Monday.

Ana may be one of just a handful of named storms this year. An initial report released by Colorado State University in April says the 2015 Atlantic hurricane season could be one of the least active in decades.

The forecast predicts seven named storms, including three hurricanes. Only one hurricane is expected to be a “major hurricane,” defined as category 3 or higher. There were eight named storms last year, the fewest since 1997, which included six hurricanes and two major hurricanes.

The hurricane season officially begins June 1; the next name on the list is Bill. Below are the monikers slated for 2015:

Ana

Bill

Claudette

Danny

Erika

Fred

Grace

Henri

Ida

Joaquin

Kate

Larry

Mindy

Nicholas

Odette

Peter

Rose

Sam

Teresa

Victor

Wanda

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