Tropical Storm Isaias projected to regain hurricane strength, take aim Carolinas

Tropical Storm Isaias maintained 70 mph winds overnight as it moved along the Florida coast early Monday, and the storm may become a hurricane again by the time it impacts the Carolinas, the National Hurricane Center said.

In the 5 a.m. advisory, the NHC said Isaias was located about 115 miles east-southeast of Jacksonville and about 280 miles south-southwest of Myrtle Beach, S.C. The storm’s maximum sustained winds are still at 70 mph as it moves north at 9 mph along Florida’s coast.

A tropical storm warning has been discontinued south of the Volusia-Flagler county line, but now the NHC has issued a hurricane warning from South Santee River, South Carolina to Surf City, North Carolina while a tropical storm warning remains in effect from Flagler County north of the South Santee River and then from Surf City up to Watch Hill, Rhode Island.

“On the forecast track, the center of Isaias will pass well east of the Georgia coast through this morning,” forecasters said. “The center of Isaias will then approach the coast of northeastern South Carolina and southern North Carolina within the hurricane warning area later today. The center will then move inland over eastern North Carolina tonight and move along the coast of the mid-Atlantic states on Tuesday and into the northeastern United States by Tuesday night.”

The NHC said Isaias is expected to become a Category 1 hurricane with 75 mph sustained winds later today before making landfall.

Isaias’ tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 125 miles from its center, primarily to the east of the storm.

“Just a big old blob of breeze and rain,” FOX 35 meteorologist Jayme King said earlier Sunday. “The dry air kind of spelling the demise of this late last night and keeping the intensity in check.”

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Florida Power & Light, which serves Florida’s coastal counties, reported it restored more than 25,000 customers’ power as of 5 a.m. Monday with around 1,300 still without service.

The storm dumped rain, knocked out power and snapped trees as it lashed the Bahamas on Saturday, growing to as much as 85 mph sustained winds with stronger gusts, but lost steam dropping to tropical storm strength of 70 mph by 5 p.m. It reduced even more by 5 a.m. Sunday as it made its way toward South Florida.

Isaias has already been destructive in the Caribbean: On Thursday, before it became a hurricane, it uprooted trees, destroyed crops and homes and caused widespread flooding and small landslides in the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. One man died in the Dominican Republic. In Puerto Rico, the National Guard rescued at least 35 people from floodwaters that swept away one woman, whose body was recovered Saturday.

The NHC was also tracking a tropical wave in the Atlantic a few hundred miles east of the Leeward Islands. Forecasters give that storm a 40% chance of forming into a tropical depression or storm in the next two days, with better odds of 60% over the next five days.

The 2020 hurricane season already has seen seven tropical storms: Arthur, Bertha, Cristobal, Dolly, Edouard, Fay, Gonzalo, plus Hurricane Hanna, which hit Texas last weekend, and now Isaias. The next named storms would be Josephine, Kyle, Laura, Marco, Nana, Omar, Paulette, Rene, Sally, Teddy, Vicky and Wilfred.

Orlando Sentinel staff reporters Joe Mario Pedersen, Paola Pérez and Matthew J. Palm and The Associated Press contributed to this story.