Hurricane Isaias prompts hurricane watch for parts of Florida east coast

Florida’s east coast communities were issued a hurricane watch Friday morning as Category 1 Hurricane Isaias continues its approach toward the Sunshine State with expectations it will begin riding up the coast Saturday afternoon.

The watch includes communities from Deerfield Beach northward to the Volusia-Brevard County line, the National Hurricane Center said in its 11 a.m. update. An earlier tropical storm watch from Key Largo to Sebastian Inlet has been turned into a tropical storm warning as well.

The watch was issued after two hurricane models pushed Isaias’ projected more westward, encompassing a greater portion of Florida. Heavy rains may begin to affect South Florida by late Friday night, the NHC said.

Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for every east coast county from Miami-Dade to Nassu in an executive order Friday morning during a press conference. DeSantis also said the has 50 generators, the most its ever had on hand, for emergency managers to distribute; ensuring all nursing homes and long-term care facilities will be taken care of to avoid power loss like the deadly situation created by Hurricane Irma in 2017.

”The most recent forecast, it brings that eye closer to the coast so we just have to be vigilant,” DeSantis said. “So please heed the warnings of your local officials.”

DeSantis will be traveling to Tampa later Friday to meet with President Donald Trump discuss matters on both Isais and COVID-19.

No evacuations have been declared at this time.

Isaias was officially designated as a Category 1 storm by the National Hurricane Center after a special midnight bulletin, but is projected to reach Category 2 strength tonight or early Saturday as it passes over the Bahamas before dying back down ahead of its brush with Florida.

While its forward speed decreased slightly to 16 mph after passing over Hispaniola, its maximum sustained wind speeds decreased slightly to 75 mph from an earlier high of 80 mph, a recon aircraft reported after a flight inside the storm. Isaias projected to churn up to 90 mph on Saturday and then be parked off Florida’s Treasure Coast by Saturday night with 85 mph sustained winds and higher gusts. Isaias is 365 miles southeast of of Great Abaco Island, as of the 11 a.m. update.

Isaias is expected maintain a northwestward trek passing over the southeastern Bahamas Friday morning, the central Bahamas Friday evening and east coast of Florida Saturday afternoon.

While the storm’s center is not predicted to make Floridia landfall, Isaias’ hurricane-force winds extend 45 miles from its core, and its tropical-storm-force winds can reach up to 205 miles.

What that means for coastal residents is that they need to prepare, said FOX 35 meteorologist Jayme King.

Coastal communities are in the warning area are expected to feel tropical storm force conditions, and those in the hurricane watch area may encounter hurricane-force winds and heavy rain, according to the NHC.

“While we are in the easterly cone of uncertainty my message is watch for wobbling to west. That will change everything,” King said. “It’s passing over the Bahamas (Friday night) and will pass 50 miles east of us Sunday during the day, meaning we could see gusts from 35 to 65 mph along the coast. Rainfall will stack along coast 2 to 4 inches.”

A tropical storm warning remains in effect for Ocean Reef northward to the Sebastian inlet, Lake Okeechobee as well as the Turks and Caicos Islands. Much of the Bahamas were under a hurricane warning.

The NHC forecast 2 to 4 inches of rain with some pockets of up to 6 inches in South Florida and east-Central Florida on Sunday that could result in flash flooding in urban areas with poor drainage. Surf conditions are expected to grow by Saturday with dangerous rip conditions.

As the storm makes its way through the Bahamas its maximum wind strength is expected to increase to 90 mph. However, the strength is predicted to diminish slightly Sunday as it moves toward Florida back down to 85 mph with higher gusts. Forecasters predict Isaias will then ride up the coast to Brevard and Volusia counties before turning northeast and making landfall in North Carolina coastal communities early Tuesday.

Forecasters had originally hoped that Isaias would lose strength when its low center interacted with the Dominican Republic mountain range, but the storm missed the mountains and reemerged into warm waters along with very little wind sheer allowing its intensity to jump in strength; pumping up Isaias into hurricane level strength, King said.

The midnight shift from tropical storm to hurricane came after an Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter determined winds were strong enough for Isaias to be the second named hurricane of the season, the NHC said. It jumped from tropical-storm strength 60 mph sustained winds in its 11 p.m. update to 80 mph sustained winds with the notification one hour later.

“Everyone needs to be mindful of what could happen and coastal residents need to be prepared for a hurricane,” King said. “We didn’t have a lot of intel coming up to this point, but now we have a lot to consider without the luxury of time.”

Orange County officials are monitoring the storm and have extended the free, self-serve sandbag handouts until Saturday, pending weather. Residents are asked to bring their own shovels and wear masks. Anyone who lives in the county, including the cities, can get the sandbags. For a list of locations, visit ocfl.net/Storm.

The Metro Orlando area could see wind gusts of 40 mph and heavy rains with some localized flooding in low-lying areas on Sunday, said John Pendergrast, meteorologist with the National Weather Service. The area could see 3 to 4 inches of rain with up to 5 inches along coastal areas like Brevard and Volusia counties, he said.

“The weather could clear up as early as the evening hours,” Pendergrast said.

DeSantis on Thursday said even if the storm remains off shore, the state could still see impacts.

“This is an evolving situation so please keep up with official updates and make sure you have a plan and have seven days’ worth of food water and medicine,” DeSantis said.

Florida’s east coast communities halted coronavirus testing in wake of the storm through at least Wednesday, though some sites may reopen before then depending on how the storm impacts certain areas. Orange County also closed its testing sites. West coast testing sites are still open.

The state division of emergency management also has a ton of PPE supplies stockpiled in the event of emergency including 20 million masks, DeSantis said in the Friday press conference.

On Thursday, while still a tropical storm, Isaias toppled trees, destroyed crops and caused widespread flooding and small landslides in the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, where hundreds of thousands of people were left without power and water.

Officials reported that a man died in the Dominican Republic when he was electrocuted by a fallen electrical cable.

The Puerto Rico National Guard rescued at least 35 people from floodwaters, which swept away one woman who remains missing.

Stephen Russell, director of the Bahamas’ Emergency Management Agency, said there were no plans to evacuate people, but he urged those living in low-lying areas to seek shelter.

Meanwhile, there are two more systems being looked at by the National Hurricane Center that could potentially form into a tropical depression or tropical storm. If either one does become a named storm, it would be Tropical Storm Josephine.