Tropical storm alerts have been posted and at least one state has declared a pre-emptive state of emergency as a looming storm system is on its way to becoming future Hurricane Imelda, bringing the potential threat of heavy rain and strong winds to parts of the Southeast.

Some uncertainty surrounds the tracks of both storms. However, Humberto is likely to recurve out to sea, avoiding landfall. But forecasters believe the other system to the west, Invest 94L, the future Imelda, could strike the East Coast near the Carolinas.

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster on Friday declared a state of emergency as the tropical disturbance moved closer, telling residents of his state to monitor the forecast and start preparing. The governor's order puts emergency plans in place and makes federal help available.

Hurricane Humberto is officially brewing in the Atlantic, but a currently unnamed disturbance could be a bigger threat to South Carolina.

Invest 94L southeast of Florida in the Caribbean is expected to become a tropical depression over the weekend.

If Humberto becomes a major hurricane as expected, it will be the first time since 1935 when a season's first three storms were Category 3 or higher.

The city of Conway declared a state of emergency Thursday afternoon in preparation of what could become Tropical Storm Imelda. The state of emergency was declared at 3:30 p.m., and the city is now operating at OPCON 2,

Named after Japanese meteorologist Sakuhei Fujiwhara in 1921, the rare phenomenon sparks when two cyclones come within 900 miles of each other and begin spinning around a shared center. Click here to follow the Mirror US on Google News to stay up to date with all the latest news, sports and entertainment stories.