Our live coverage has ended. You can follow the latest on Isaias on CNN Weather.
Isaias is still a tropical storm, according to the National Hurricane Center’s 8 p.m. ET advisory, with maximum sustained winds of 70 mph.
The NHC said Isaias is “expected to re-strengthen to a hurricane overnight while it approaches the southeast coast of Florida.”
Isaias continues to head toward the US. The latest forecast shows the storm traveling close to Florida’s Atlantic coast tomorrow, but it’s still not clear if it will make landfall.
NHC’s latest forecast is below, and you can follow Isaias’ path here.
Isaias is the Atlantic’s earliest on record to begin with an “I.” The previous record was set on August 7, 2005, part of the busiest hurricane season to date.
Last month, the research team at Colorado State University forecasted there would be 20 named storms this hurricane season.
The only other time CSU researchers predicted 20 or more storms was in their August update of the record-breaking 2005 season.
As Tropical Storm Isaias heads toward Florida, Volusia County issued an evacuation order for the Barrier Island and people living in mobile homes near the coast, effective at 8 a.m. ET Sunday.
Recktenwald said that while this is a smaller storm, it is going to be much closer and might be right up on the coast.
Volusia County Emergency Management Director Jim Judge also spoke at the news conference to give an update.
“There is some fluctuation and has been, and will be as we monitor this storm. At times it falls down below hurricane-force winds and then a short time later it’s back up in those 74 to 75 miles an hour wind range,” said Judge.
“So for coastal Volusia County, we are under a hurricane warning, we are under a storm surge watch. And also we have an interior Volusia County tropical storm watch,” he added.
Remember: While Isaias was downgraded to a tropical storm this afternoon, the National Hurricane center forecasts it will restrengthen into a Category 1 hurricane overnight.
Judge said they are expecting low-end hurricane-force winds right along the coast.
“The onset of sustained tropical-storm-force winds will occur approximately three o’clock tomorrow,” he said. “The worst conditions will be 11 p.m., give or take an hour, Sunday night, and then through the night. Hopefully, clearing by seven o’clock Monday morning.”
Shelters will open at 8 a.m. Sunday. For people who are Covid-19 positive, hotels will be available for them on the west side.
The ninth named storm of the year is headed for the Florida coastline, but unlike its predecessor, Hanna, this time the pronunciation isn’t as clear — at least to non-native Spanish speakers.
But no sweat: We’re here to explain just how to say the storm’s name.
Isaias is pronounced ees-ah-EE-ahs, according to the Atlantic Basin Storm Name Pronunciations guide.
WFTV Meteorologist Irene Sans tweeted this video on just how to say it:
The forecast track as of this afternoon has Isaias’ center moving within miles of Florida’s east coast tomorrow. While Isaias was downgraded to a tropical storm this afternoon, the National Hurricane center forecasts it will restrengthen into a Category 1 hurricane overnight.
But a landfall in Florida can’t yet be ruled out, CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar said.
So what happens after that? The storm’s center could affect the Carolinas’ coast by early Tuesday — and current forecasts show a landfall over the coastal Carolinas is possible.
The storm then could move along the coasts of the mid-Atlantic and Northeastern states from Tuesday into Wednesday.
The governors of Florida, North Carolina and Virginia have declared states of emergency, allowing officials to move resources and equipment for recovery.
There are at least six Florida counties currently under a hurricane warning, Gov. Ron DeSantis said during a hurricane briefing today.
“We have hurricane warnings in effect from Boca Raton to the Volusia-Flagler County line, DeSantis said.
Sixteen counties in Florida have declared a state of emergency, the governor said.
“We will start seeing impacts from the storm tonight” and into Sunday, DeSantis said.
The National Hurricane Center is predicting a potential storm surge of two to four feet “from Jupiter Inlet all the way up to Ponte Vedra in Northeast Florida,” said DeSantis. That’s a distance of nearly 300 coastal miles.
Palm Beach County has issued a voluntary evacuation order for Zone A, DeSantis said.
Remember: While Isaias was downgraded to a tropical storm this afternoon, the National Hurricane center forecasts it will restrengthen into a Category 1 hurricane overnight.
Here’s the latest on watches and warning:
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told Floridians to expect power outages, even in a tropical storm.
Isaias was downgraded to a tropical storm with sustained winds of 70 mph earlier today. However, the National Hurricane Center forecasts the storm will restrengthen into a hurricane overnight.
“A 70 mile an hour wind will be enough to take down trees and limbs that obviously interact with power lines and so, that will happen, and people should be prepared for that,” DeSantis said.
Florida Power and Light have prepositioned workers in 16 staging areas on the east coast ahead of the storm, DeSantis said.
“FPL has nearly 10,000 workers deployed and ready to respond, including more than 6500 line and vegetation personnel,” DeSantis said.
Isaias was downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm in the National Hurricane Center’s 5 p.m. ET advisory. However, storm is forecast to restrengthen into a hurricane overnight.
The latest forecast shows Isaias continuing to move northwest toward Florida this evening. Tomorrow, it’s expected to travel up Florida’s Atlantic coast. Although it’s unclear if it will make landfall, it is plausible that it will.
The latest forecast from the National Hurricane Center is below, and you can track Isaias here.
Isaias has weakened to a tropical storm, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The storm was a Category 1 hurricane as it moved through the Bahamas earlier today.
The National Weather Service said Isaias is “expected to re-strengthen to a hurricane overnight while it approaches the Southeast coast of Florida.”
The City of Deerfield Beach, on Florida’s Atlantic coast, has. alive cam set up at Deerfield Beach Pier.
On Saturday afternoon, as Hurricane Isaias churns off the coast, some surfers could be seen in the water.
Watch live:
The National Hurricane Center will provide its next update on Hurricane Isaias at 5 p.m. ET.
While the storm is heading toward the US, there is still uncertainty about where it will make landfall and how widespread the impacts will be.
Some of the models — like the American Model and European models below — slow the storm down as it impacts Florida. Others move it a little faster, taking it up the coast, into the Carolinas and all the way into New England.
Hurricane Isaias is currently a Category 1 storm — but what does that really mean?
Meteorologists use the Saffir Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale to measure a hurricane’s strength. The scale also estimates potential property damage.
Storms reaching Category 3 and higher are considered substantial hurricanes “because of their potential for significant loss of life and damage,” the National Hurricane Center writes.
The system divides storms into five categories:
Hurricane Isaias is continuing toward Florida, and the storm comes at a sensitive time during the coronavirus pandemic. On Friday, Florida marked the fourth consecutive day it reported a record number of Covid-19 deaths in the state at 257.
Florida closed some state-supported Covid-19 drive-through and walk-up testing sites on Thursday in anticipation of the storm.
Testing is shut down in Miami and will likely stay that way until Tuesday or Wednesday, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez told CNN Friday.
“That’s going to be a gap in information for four or five days,” Suarez said.
Here’s what else Florida is doing to prep for a hurricane in the middle of a pandemic:
Indian River County, Florida, officials have issued a voluntary evacuation for residents in mobile homes or low lying areas ahead of Hurricane Isaias, according to a Saturday news briefing.
Three shelters are open, in Port St. Lucie and Vero Beach, but emergency officials stressed that these should be used as a last resort because of Covid-19. Residents should try to shelter in place with family or friends before heading to shelters, officials said.
Shelters will have proper social distancing, with 60 square feet being allocated for each person, instead of the usual 20 square feet per person, officials said.
There is a possibility that barrier island bridges may close; emergency and local officials will determine if that is necessary depending on wind speeds and conditions, officials said.
Suzi Watson-Roberson shot video of the winds and rain a band from Hurricane Isaias brought to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, this afternoon.
Watson-Roberson — who is an NWS Storm Spotter and an amateur storm chaser from Brooklyn, Michigan — took the video around 2:15 p.m. ET.
She and her husband and son are planning to fly back home tomorrow.
Here’s her footage:
The Kennedy Space Center visitor complex will be closed on Sunday due to Hurricane Isaias, according to the center.
During the closure, visitors will not be allowed on the visitor complex grounds.
Read a tweet from the center:
Hurricane Isaias is current cover the Bahamas and it continues to head closer toward the US.
According to its latest 2 p.m. ET advisory, the National Hurricane Center believes the storm will continue as a hurricane as it approaches Florida today — but there is still uncertainty about where it will make landfall and how widespread the storm’s impacts will be.
The storm is expected to turn to the north either on or very near the east coast of Florida, so landfall is possible anywhere north of Boca Raton, where the hurricane warnings are in effect
Southeast Florida, including Miami, will see its worst weather overnight tonight and into tomorrow morning. Further north, much of the east coast of Florida could see hurricane conditions develop on Sunday as Isaias works its way from roughly West Palm Beach tomorrow morning to the Space Coast by Sunday evening.
Here’s the latest forecast:
South Carolina’s Department of Health and Environmental Control announced an 18.5% positivity rate for new coronavirus tests in a press release Saturday.
The high positivity rate comes as Hurricane Isaias heads for the east coast of the US.
Gov. Henry McMaster announced Friday that the state would not issue any mandatory evacuations but encouraged residents to monitor weather updates and local warnings.
By the numbers: There were 1,491 new confirmed Covid-19 cases and seven new probable cases were reported, the release from the department said. This now a total of 90,076 confirmed coronavirus cases and 523 probable cases in South Carolina.
The United Cajun Navy is deploying a team to North Carolina ahead of Hurricane Isaias, according to United Cajun Navy spokesperson Todd Terrell.
Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, the group of citizen responders and rescuers from Louisiana will respond during the 2020 hurricane season, but teams will be wearing masks, doing temperature checks and using other personal protective equipment, Terrell said.
The group is also deploying a drone team to Florida to follow the storm.
Volusia County has not issued any evacuation orders nor has it opened any shelters at this time in anticipation of Hurricane Isaias, according to public information officer Kate Sark.
Sark told CNN that, if needed, the county emergency management is prepared to open more shelters than in previous hurricane seasons, to allow families space to socially distance inside. This means shelter capacity would be reduced at each location, according to Sark.
For any shelters that may open, masks will be required, and personal protective equipment will be available, including face coverings for those who do not have their own, and hand sanitizer. Stricter cleaning procedures will also be followed, Sark said.
Bridges in the county will only shut down when winds reach a sustained 40 mph, Sark said.
Sandbags are currently available at multiple locations for residents to pick up.
