Florida spared as tropical storm weakens
Carolinas brace for ‘potentially life-threatening’ flooding
Bands of rain from Hurricane Isaias soaked portions of Florida’s east coast and wind gusts of up to 65 mph were also reported Sunday morning as the powerful tropical storm swirled just offshore, presenting less of a threat than feared.
As of 2 p.m. EDT, Isaias had 65 mph winds and was located about 45 miles east of Vero Beach, Florida. It was crawling north-northwest at 9 mph.
Isaias was not not forecast to regain hurricane strength, the National Hurricane Center said, meaning Florida will avoid the troubling scenario of grappling with the damage from a hurricane while being pounded by the coronavirus pandemic.
“Thankfully #Isaias will not be a ‘Covidcane’ 2020 Bracing for Disaster hurricane,” BAM Weather meteorologist Ryan Maue tweeted. “Florida dodged a bullet for sure!”
Isaias was forecast to move north toward the Carolinas and potentially make landfall Monday night, causing high winds, the National Weather Service said.
“Heavy rainfall totals are expected to cause potentially life-threatening flash flooding over the Carolinas and then the mid-Atlantic Monday and Tuesday as Isaias moves north,” the weather service said.
The hurricane center said that “dangerous storm surge is possible from Edisto Beach, South Carolina, to Cape Fear, North Carolina, where water rises of 2 to 4 feet above ground level are possible along the immediate coastline and adjacent waterways.”
Rain and wind from Isaias could affect the Northeast and New England by Wednesday.
Little change in strength is expected during the next couple of days. As it tracks north, Isaias is also expected to pick up speed.
Upper-level winds took much of the strength out of Isaias, said Stacy Stewart, senior hurricane specialist at the hurricane center. The storm also slowed considerably.
“We were expecting a hurricane to develop and it didn’t,” Stewart said.
In addition to rain and wind, dangerous storm surge was still possible along portions of Florida’s east coast, where water inundation of 2 to 4 feet could occur.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency in every coastal county of Florida’s Atlantic Coast, stretching from Miami-Dade to Nassau counties, on Friday in preparation for the storm.
As the storm approached Florida, state authorities also closed beaches, parks and COVID-19 virus testing sites, lashing signs to palm trees so they wouldn’t blow away. DeSantis said the state anticipated power outages and asked residents to have a week’s supply of water, food and medicine on hand.
In Palm Beach County, about 150 people were in shelters, said emergency management spokeswoman Lisa De La Rionda.