Barry likely to deliver much-needed rain

The Lowcountry could see two inches or more of rain today from the first tropical storm of the season.

Tropical Storm Barry became the second named storm of the hurricane season Friday, the first official day of the June-November season.

It's expected to pass near or offshore Charleston tonight as a tropical depression, bringing periods of showers, then heavier rain, then thunderstorms Sunday as it leaves.

The National Weather Service office in Charleston called for 2-3 inches of rain from the Midlands to the coast and gusts above 20 mph. The heaviest rain should fall in the afternoon and evening, said meteorologist Bob Bright. Actual rainfall will depend on the path the storm takes.

AccuWeather.com, a private forecasting company, hedged on the rainfall, calling for anywhere from 1 to 4 inches but otherwise agreed with the weather service forecast.

The rainfall is badly needed across the state, which has declared incipient drought, the earliest drought stage. The Charleston area is more than 8 inches below its average rainfall for the year through May.

A "hurricane hunter" aircraft for the hurricane center found sustained winds near 45 mph in the storm Friday as it moved into the Gulf of Mexico headed toward Florida. The first named storm, Subtropical Depression Andrea, occurred before the season started, forming then dispersing in the Atlantic off Florida in early May.

Forecasters call for a busier-than-average hurricane season.

Reach Bo Petersen at 745-5852 or bpetersen@postandcourier.com.