Hurricane Isaias is expected to bring hurricane-force conditions along portions of Florida’s east coast late Saturday afternoon and Sunday with strong winds, heavy rains and possible flooding in low lying areas, the National Hurricane Center said.
At 5 a.m. Saturday, the hurricane center’s forecasters find Category 1 Isaias barreling slightly more toward the east and toward South Florida late Saturday and early Sunday. The forecast then shows Isaias hugging Florida’s east coast before making a slight northwesterly turn and going farther off the coast after passing Melbourne on Sunday afternoon.
As of Saturday morning, Isaias was located 80 miles south-southeast of Nassau, moving northwest at 12 mph.
“Maximum sustained winds are near 85 mph with higher gusts. Little change in strength is expected through Sunday, and Isaias is forecast to remain a hurricane during this time,” NHC forecasters said in an advisory.
South Florida could start feeling the effects of the storm as early as Saturday afternoon.
No new watches or warnings were issued Saturday morning. Friday brought a slew of watches and warnings for Central Florida: a hurricane warning for Brevard and Volusia counties, a tropical storm warning for Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties and a tropical storm watch for coastal Flagler and inland Volusia counties.
Elsewhere in the state, a hurricane warning is in effect for Boca Raton to the Volusia/Brevard line and a hurricane watch is in effect for Boca Raton to Hallandale Beach. There’s also a storm surge watch from Jupiter Inlet to Ponte Vedra Beach.
While the storm’s center is not predicted to make a Florida landfall, Isaias’ hurricane-force winds extend 35 miles from its core, and its tropical-storm-force winds can reach up to 175 miles from its center.
“Isaias has a somewhat ragged appearance in satellite imagery this morning, likely due to the impact of westerly shear and dry air entrainment,” forecasters said. “The area of central convection has shrunk in size, although radar data from the Bahamas shows some banding near the center and occasional attempts to wrap up an eyewall.”
Still, Fox 35 meteorologist Glenn Richards the storm could make landfall in Indian River County or Fort Pierce before going back offshore.
“If you live Brevard, Indian River and Volusia counties, do take this storm seriously,” he said.
Richards said Isaias is similar to Hurricane Matthew in 2016, which skirted along Central Florida’s east coast. While Matthew was stronger, Isaias is closer to land.
“My concern is just keeping the western eyewall offshore,” he said.
Richards said strong winds from Isaias could cause roof damage, power outages and pool enclosures to collapse.
Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for every east coast county from Miami-Dade to Nassau in an executive order Friday morning. DeSantis also said the state has 50 generators, the most it has ever had on hand, for emergency managers to distribute. This would ensure 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,” said DeSantis, who met with President Donald Trump in Tampa discuss matters on both Isaias and COVID-19. “So please heed the warnings of your local officials.”
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.
Attorney General Ashley Moody expanded Florida’s Price Gouging Hotline Friday to receive reports of extreme price increases on essential commodities needed to prepare for Hurricane Isaias.
During a storm-related declared state of emergency, state law prohibits excessive increases in the price of essential commodities, such as food, water, hotel rooms, ice, gasoline, lumber and equipment, needed as a direct result of the event. Anyone who suspects price gouging should report it to the Attorney General’s Office by using the NO SCAM app or by calling 1(866) 9NO-SCAM. The Attorney General’s NO SCAM app can be downloaded for free through Apple and Android stores by searching NO SCAM.
What you need to know
The NHC is forecasting 2 to 4 inches of rain with some pockets of up to 6 inches in South Florida and east-Central Florida on Saturday and Sunday that could result in flash flooding in urban areas with poor drainage.
Isaias is generating swells that will spread along the east coast of Florida and the southeastern United States coast Saturday, posing dangerous surf and current conditions.
For the U.S. east coast at large, there is a risk of impacts from winds, heavy rainfall and storm surge through early next week, forecasters said.
Metro Orlando could see tropical storm force wind and gusts, said Melissa Watson, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Melbourne. But that could change depending on where the storm is located.
“Keep an eye on the storm,” Watson said. “Always prepare for at least one category higher than what it is forecasted. It’s always better to be over prepared than under prepared.”
Orange County officials said it is not opening its shelters for now but they are prepared to do so if needed with social distancing measures in place because of COVID-19. The county’s fire marshal also is in contact with the more than 100 assisted living facilities to ensure they are prepared for the storm. County residents can pick up free sandbags until Saturday. A list of locations can be found at ocfl.net.
County crews worked to clear drainage systems ahead of Isaias’ arrival.
“We’re optimistic and hopeful with this storm, based on the current track, that our impact in Orange County won’t be as bad as we’ve seen in some previous years,” said Danny Banks, deputy county administrator and public safety director at a press conference.
SunRail will suspend operations starting on Monday and Volusia County said it would close low-volume six boat ramps and could shutter more.
Quick development
Isaias was officially designated as a Category 1 storm Friday by the Hurricane Center after a special midnight bulletin.
Forecasters had originally hoped that Isaias would lose strength when its low center interacted with the Dominican Republic’s mountain range, but the storm missed the mountains and re-emerged into warm waters along with very little wind shear allowing its intensity to jump in strength, pumping up Isaias into hurricane level strength, forecasters 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. 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.
Death in the D.R.
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.
On Friday, the hurricane knocked shingles off roofs in the Bahamian island of San Salvador as it carved its way through an archipelago still recovering from Dorian’s devastation. Bahamas Power and Light Co. cut off power in certain areas for safety.
Meanwhile, there are two more systems being looked at by the National Hurricane Center including one that became Tropical Depression 10. If either one does become a named storm, it would be Tropical Storm Josephine.
Get the latest hurricane coverage at OrlandoSentinel.com/hurricane.
Orlando Sentinel staff writers Stephen Hudak, Paola Pérez and The Associated Press contributed to this report.