Our live coverage has ended for the evening, but you can follow Isaias’ path here.
Isaias has strengthened back to a hurricane and now has sustained winds of 75 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The storm is accelerating toward landfall near the North Carolina/South Carolina border.
Landfall is expected, as a hurricane, around the midnight hour.
The upgrade to a hurricane was expected and the anticipated impacts have not changed significantly. Coastal flooding from storm surge, minor wind damage, and inland flooding from heavy rainfall is still likely to occur in the Carolinas tonight.
The threat of tropical storm-force winds and flooding will continue through the mid-Atlantic and into the Northeast during the day on Tuesday.
Wind gusts reached 72 mph along the South Carolina coast on Monday.
A tornado watch has been issued for parts of the Carolinas due to Tropical Storm Isaias.
Here are some of the wind gusts logged this evening:
A tornado watch has been issued for southeastern North Carolina and northeastern South Carolina due to Tropical Storm Isaias.
The tornado watch lasts until 2 a.m. ET and includes Wilmington, North Carolina, and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
Landfalling tropical systems frequently bring the threat of tornadoes, especially on the northern and eastern sides of the storm. The tornadoes associated with landfalling tropical systems are generally weak and short-lived, but represent yet another threat.
Isaias is undergoing its daily reorganization phase, with a ragged eye-like feature now showing up in National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration weather radars, the National Hurricane Center said.
The storm is very near hurricane status, the center said.
The storm should make landfall near the South Carolina and North Carolina border.
It should be emphasized that there is little difference between a strong tropical storm or a category 1 hurricane in terms of impacts, the center said.
Here’s a look at the areas currently under watches and warnings:
Shelters in North Carolina will be open with social distancing and plenty of personal protective equipment, Gov. Roy Cooper said in a news conference this afternoon as the state readies for Isaias to make landfall this evening.
Cooper said that there will be temperature checks at the shelters, and anyone showing Covid-19 symptoms or testing positive will be directed to another shelter that will be used for patients and where they can be isolated.
He warned residents to be prepared as Isaias moves in overnight. The tropical storm is expected to strengthen into a hurricane before it makes landfall tonight, and hurricane warnings have been issued for three counties in North Carolina – Brunswick, New Hanover and Pender, Cooper said.
A National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration satellite caught images of Tropical Storm Isaias traveling up the US East Coast this afternoon.
The satellite images showed flashes of lightning inside the storm, which is forecast to become a hurricane before it makes landfall.
Here’s what the storm looks like from above:
Tropical Storm Isaias continues to fluctuate in intensity, and the National Hurricane Center says this has been happening on an 8-hour cycle.
This morning it showed some weakening before 11 a.m. almost right on schedule. This means that if it continues on this pattern, it will have had this afternoon to strengthen as it approaches South and North Carolina, with landfall possible around 8 p.m.
The National Weather Service is forecasting wind gusts on Tuesday from Tropical Storm Isaias to reach nearly 70 mph in New York City.
According to Ross Dickman, the meteorologist-in-charge of the weather service in New York City, the storm could bring the strongest winds to the metro area since Superstorm Sandy almost eight years ago.
The peak wind gust at John F. Kennedy International Airport during Sandy was 69 mph on October 29, 2012. The current forecast calls for a peak wind gust on Tuesday afternoon of 69 mph in New York City.
Dickman said that “the wind and flooding impacts from Isaias will be similar to what the city has seen from some of the strongest coastal storms,” such as nor’easters – “but we haven’t seen one this strong in many years.”
One key difference between the forecast for Isaias and what was experienced in Hurricanes Irene and Sandy will be the direction of the winds.
Dickman explained this will likely result in worse damage and power loss from downed trees, as “vulnerable vegetation has not experienced winds like this in a long time.”
Tropical Storm Isaias is off Georgia’s coast, according to the National Hurricane Center’s 2 p.m. ET update.
Isaias is still expected to strengthen into a hurricane tonight before it makes landfall, the center said.
Here’s a look at the areas currently under watches and warnings:
New Hanover County, North Carolina, declared a state of emergency Monday ahead of Tropical Storm Isaias, according to the county’s Emergency Information Center.
“We are expecting tropical storm conditions this evening for our area, and we always want to be prepared – so that is what this State of Emergency helps us to do. And we encourage our residents to be prepared as well,” Emergency Management Director Steven Still said.
Still continued: “Be in a safe place by 8 p.m. tonight, have your emergency kit ready in case the power goes out or you need to leave your home unexpectedly, and continue to stay informed.”
Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg encouraged all residents to stay home and off the streets after 6 p.m. ET today, as Tropical Storm Isaias continues to head toward South Carolina.
According to the mayor, there will be no evacuations, and no shelters will be opened.
City employees were sent home at 1 p.m. ET and garages around the city are open for people to park their cars for free to avoid flooded streets until Tuesday.
Charleston emergency officials said they expect level 1 flooding with high tide at 9 p.m. ET tonight. The flooding could cause significant hazardous conditions on roadways, especially across downtown, the mayor said.
Two controlled lakes have been lowered, drains have been cleared and two pumps are on standby if needed, Tecklenburg added.
Tropical Storm Isaias is forecast to become a hurricane again before landfall near the North Carolina-South Carolina border.
More than 112 million people are under a Tropical Storm Warning — from Georgia to Massachusetts, according to the National Weather Service.
A Tropical Storm Warning means that tropical storm conditions are expected within the next 36 hours. That includes winds over 40 mph and the possibility of flooding rainfall.
Isaias is the ninth named storm of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season — and this is the earliest in the year we have ever seen a storm with an “I” name. The previous record was set on August 7, 2005, part of the busiest hurricane season to date.
Isaias — which weakened from a hurricane to a tropical storm on Saturday, but is expected to restrengthen into a hurricane today — is the second storm to reach hurricane status in the Atlantic Basin this year. The average date for the second hurricane is Aug. 28.
This was the first time there were two hurricanes to form in the last week of July (July 25-31) on record.
Covid-19 testing operations at community-based sites in Maryland will be suspended tomorrow due to the potential impacts of tropical storm Isaias, Gov. Larry Hogan said via Twitter today.
In total so far, 13 state and local testing sites will be closed, according to the Maryland Department of Health.
A tropical storm warning has been issued for southern Maryland and nearby waters, according to the National Weather Service and a tropical storm watch is in effect for other areas along and east of I-95.
Tropical Storm Isaias, which is expected to become a hurricane again before landfall, is traveling up the US East Coast. Much of the coast is under hurricane and tropical storm watches and warnings.
Here’s a look at when the peak storm time will be in cities throughout the East Coast (all times are ET):
Isaias is expected to strengthen into a hurricane before its forecast landfall in the Carolinas later today.
In North Carolina, the Outer Banks communities of Ocracoke Island, which took a direct hit from Hurricane Florence in 2018, and Hatteras Island issued mandatory evacuations on Friday for all visitors and residents ahead of the anticipated storm that could bring flooding to waterfront and adjacent properties, making roadways in the area unpassable.
Visitors were ordered to evacuate North Carolina’s Ocean Isle and Holden Beach by Saturday, officials said.
Inland, the Neuse and Cape Fear rivers are expected to rise above moderate flooding level, the North Carolina Emergency Management Department tweeted Sunday.
On Friday, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster announced that he would not issue a mandatory evacuation, but that residents should continue to monitor the weather situation.
“Right now we’re hoping this storm will not hit us hard if it hits at all,” McMaster said. “At this time we have no intention at all of declaring any sort of evacuation.”
South Carolina Emergency Management Division (SCEMD) Director Kim Stenson said his department will be implementing their new emergency response plan for a Covid environment which includes screening for the virus, providing personal protective equipment, as well as creating social distancing and isolation areas in shelters.
SCEMD will screen people before they get on buses for transport to shelters and will be having less people on buses, requiring more trips, he said.
The shelters are for those who are in homes that may not withstand tropical storm force winds, Stenson added.
Isaias remains a tropical storm, according to the National Hurricane Center’s 11 a.m. ET advisory. The center said the storm is “expected to make landfall tonight as a hurricane.”
Parts of North and South Carolina are under a hurricane warning. Most of the East Coast, from Georgia to Maine, is under tropical storm watches and warnings.
Here’s the latest forecast:
While there may be limited impact on New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio said the city’s preparations are well underway especially in Lower Manhattan which is particularly vulnerable.
The city is implementing interim flood measures learned from Superstorm Sandy.
Temporary barriers which run approximately one mile are being installed from Wall Street to Water Street in an operation which began Sunday.
The system includes pre-deployed large sand bags and dams filled with water to close the gaps between those sand bags.
Deanne Criswell, Commissioner of New York City Emergency Management, said the bulk of the rain is expected between 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.ET Tuesday. Tropical force, sustained winds of 35-45 mph are expected for two to three hours with some gusts up to 60 mph.
The city’s emergency operations center opens at 8 p.m.ET Monday night and will run virtually and the flash flood plan is already activated.
Restaurants have been asked to take precautions given the increased outdoor setup due to coronavirus. Indoor dining is still prohibited in New York City.
City officials cited the National Weather Service for the forecast it provided.
Tropical Storm Isaias is forecast to travel up the US East Coast this week. Nearly 60 million people live inside the area covered by the full forecast cone from the National Hurricane Center — which extends all the way into Canada.
Hurricane or tropical storm watches and warnings stretch all the way from Florida to Maine, putting over 1,500 miles of the East Coast at risk.
You can follow Isaias’ path here.
Isaias is moving Florida to Georgia and the Carolinas today, and the storm will continue its trek northward tomorrow.
Many northeast cities will see powerful wind gusts Tuesday:
