According to the National Hurricane Center, with wind speeds of 70 miles per hour, Tropical Storm Isaias is forecast to approach the coast of Florida this weekend with winds of a hurricane.
Checking the latest news from National Hurricane Center said in its 11 a.m. Thursday public advisory. A watch means tropical storm conditions are expected in a given area within the next 48 hours.
At this point, the track of the storm looks like the Atlantic coast of the state is the most likely target. As is the case with most hurricanes a great deal can change in a matter of hours, we do expect the Greater Miami area to feel the winds as well as the rain as soon as late today overnight into Friday morning.
But the hurricane winds would come on Saturday or Sunday depending on how the storm builds over the next 24 to 48 hours.
Isaias, which became the ninth named storm of a busy 2020 hurricane season late Wednesday night, saw its forecast track make a small move to the east early Thursday, according to the National Hurricane Center, with the center of that track keeping the core of the storm slightly off the shores of South Florida.
The system is projected to remain a tropical storm for its foreseeable duration (maximum sustained surface winds ranging from 39-73 mph). Little change in strength is anticipated until landfall in Dominican Republic later today, with re-strengthening forecast on Friday and Saturday, the hurricane center said Thursday.
