Tropical Storm Isaias live updates: Here’s what to know in South Florida on August 1
We’re keeping track of the latest news regarding Hurricane Isaias in South Florida and around the state and Caribbean. Check back for updates throughout the day.
11 p.m. advisory: Tropical Isaias slowly approaches Southeast Florida
11 p.m.: In its 11 p.m. advisory, the National Hurricane Center said Tropical Storm Isaias is continuing to slowly approach the southeast Florida coast.
Isaias is about 80 miles east-southeast of Fort Lauderdale and moving northwest at 9 mph. It has maximum sustained winds moving at about 70 mph.
The center of Isaias is forecast to approach the southeast coast of Florida Saturday night and early Sunday, then move near or along the east coast of the state throughout Sunday. On Monday and Tuesday, the storm is forecast to move from offshore of the coast of Georgia into the southern mid-Atlantic states.
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There’s more than Isaias in the Atlantic. Hurricane center watching two more systems
11 p.m.: Two more weather systems are being tracked by the National Hurricane Center. Both are hundreds of miles from the Caribbean or the United States and pose no threat as of yet.
In a 11 p.m .advisory, the hurricane center said one of the systems was a tropical depression, the tenth this hurricane season, that has dissipated and its remnants should move west-northwestward for the next day or so, forecasters said. Tropical Depression 10 was about 250 miles east of the Cabo Verde Islands off Africa. There are no coastal watches or warnings in effect.
The second system is a westward-moving tropical wave a few hundred miles east of the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean. It is producing showers and thunderstorms, forecasters say. It has a low 30 percent chance to form into a tropical depression in the next 48 hours and a medium 60 percent chance forming in the next five days.
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8 p.m. advisory: Tropical Isaias could reform into hurricane
8:30 p.m.: In its 8 p.m. advisory, the National Hurricane Center said Tropical Storm Isaias is forecast to restrengthen to a hurricane overnight while it moves toward the southeast coast of Florida.
Isaias is about 100 miles southeast of Fort Lauderdale and moving northwest at 9 mph. It has maximum sustained winds moving at about 70 mph.
The center of Isaias is forecast to approach the southeast coast of Florida Saturday night and move near or along the east coast of the state throughout Sunday.
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Miami-Dade, Broward sees power outages
7 p.m.: As Tropical Storm Isaias nears South Florida, only about 115 miles from Fort Lauderdale, Miami-Dade and Broward counties have already seen small power outages.
As of 7 p.m., 4,410 Florida Power & Light customers have been affected by outages, 940 of whom still don’t have power and 3,470 had it restored, according to FPL’s power outage map. In Miami-Dade, 2,100 customers have been affected, 1,240 of whom still don’t have power and 860 have had it restored.
Richard Beltran, an FPL spokesperson, said the outages affecting Miami-Dade County are scattered throughout, not concentrated to any one specific area.
“We are focused on restoring customers safely and as quickly as possible,” Beltran said.
FPL has about 10,000 workers focusing on restoring power in-between storm bands across the east coast, he said.
5 p.m. advisory: Hurricane Isaias weakens to Tropical Storm
5 p.m.: In the National Hurricane Center’s 5 p.m. advisory, forecasters said Isaias had weakened to a tropical storm and was expected to re-strengthen to a hurricane overnight while it approaches the southeast coast of Florida.
The center of Isaias is still forecast to move along Florida’s east coast Saturday evening into Sunday.
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It may take longer to get power back after Hurricane Isaias, FPL says. Blame COVID-19
2:25 p.m.: Power outages caused by Hurricane Isaias may begin as early as Saturday in South Florida, according to Florida Power & Light. But restoration efforts may be delayed by COVID-19 protocols at the utility company.
The Juno Beach-based FPL has mobilized more than 10,000 workers to handle power restoration in Florida, spokesman Dave Reuter said. Nearly 3,000 out-of-state workers from partner utilities were called on to assist in the effort. Workers will be restoring power “in between weather bands,” Reuter said, but only if winds in the area stay under 35 mph.
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2 p.m. advisory: Hurricane Isaias enters Florida Straights
2:10 p.m.: The National Hurricane Center’s 2 p.m. update showed Isaias’ winds had weakened to 75 mph as it passed over Andros Island, but forecasters said it could pick up steam over the warm waters of the Florida Straits Saturday night.
The hurricane is still expected to scrape Florida’s east coast later in the evening rather than a direct landfall.
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What South Florida can expect: Feeder bands
1 p.m.: WPLG Local 10 meteorologist Brandon Orr says we should expect to see feeder bands, rather than steady downpours Saturday afternoon in South Florida.
Key messages from the National Hurricane Center
1 p.m.: Storm surge is possible along the Florida east coast from Jupiter Inlet to Ponte Vedra Beach, the center said in its 1 p.m. advisory.
Hurricane Isaias more likely to scrape Florida coast instead of hitting it, NHC says
11:40 a.m.: Odds of a Florida landfall for Hurricane Isaias appear to be decreasing as the storm made landfall on Andros Island in the Bahamas Saturday morning.
Saturday morning updates from the National Hurricane Center showed the predictions for worst impacts have inched north and later, leaving Miami-Dade and Broward comfortably out of the cone. Despite that, Isaias’ windfield is large enough that tropical-storm-force winds could be felt as far as Homestead, although the chances of that keep getting lower with each update.
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One county’s test-run for managing a hurricane during a pandemic
11:30 a.m.: Isaias brought a test-run for Miami-Dade’s plans to deal with a hurricane during a pandemic. The county didn’t open any shelters, alter its transit schedule or take any major steps beyond closing parks and marinas ahead of Isaias. Saturday’s forecast left county administrators more confident.
“This looks good for Miami-Dade,” Mayor Carlos Gimenez said at an online press conference at the county’s Emergency Operations Center in Doral. “You’ll have some wind and some rain.”
In normal times, a storm emergency would have the center’s main room staffed by dozens of people assigned to stations sharing long tables. On Saturday, the place was relatively empty as the county shifted to a “virtual” center with various county agencies, utilities and local governments remaining at home or from other locations.
Miami-Dade government already had a “ring” of hard-wired communications allowing county computers to connect even if internet service halts. Frank Rollason, the county’s emergency director, said Florida Power & Light, which usually would have a representative at the EOC during a storm, now has a direct connection to the ring system. “If Wi-Fi were to go down, they would be connected with us,” he said.
“It’s not a perfect system. But with what we’re facing today with COVID, we’re trying to avoid packing all of those people into the EOC,” Rollason said.
Inside the main room, the county retro-fitted the facility to make staffing safer during a pandemic. Plastic barriers were installed between stations.
On the ceiling, new fans equipped with ultra-violet lights suck in air in an effort to disinfect coronavirus that may be present in aerosols — extremely light particles expelled when someone speaks, breathes and coughs.
Miami-Dade, Broward mayors’ advisories
10:30 a.m.: Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez and Broward County Mayor Dale V.C. Holness both stressed last-minute storm preparations as Isaias slowed in the Atlantic. Both counties should not feel the brunt of the storm’s winds but parks and COVID testing sites are closed. Airports are currently operating.
Morning update from National Weather Service
9:45 a.m.: Isaias has slowed a bit, which will mean South Florida will see most of the impacts from the hurricane in the evening into Sunday morning. A few tornadoes could spin off from the squalls.
How much will Florida feel? Hurricane Isaias slows as it soaks Bahamas, threatens coast
8:15 a.m.: As of the 8 a.m. update, Isaias was 50 miles south of Nassau and had maximum sustained wind speeds of 85 mph.
Saturday morning, Boca Raton to Brevard County remained under a hurricane warning, which means hurricane-force-winds were expected in the next 36 hours. A hurricane watch, which means hurricane conditions are possible in the next 48 hours, was in place from Hallandale Beach to just south of Boca Raton, as well as Brevard and Volusia County.
Southeast Florida from Ocean Reef north to Boca Raton and Lake Okeechobee remained under a tropical storm warning.
Miami-Dade and Broward could start seeing tropical-storm-force winds Saturday evening.
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As Hurricane Isaias crosses Bahamas, hurricane shelters could become COVID ‘tinder box’
8 a.m.: With Hurricane Isaias making its way through the Bahamas chain, residents who may not feel safe in their flood-prone homes are being advised to first seek shelter with host families and only go to a shelter if they need to.
“If you find there is nobody to host you then you need to report to one of the shelters so that you and your family can be safe,” Lillian Quant-Forbes, the director of social services, said Friday.
The advice comes as the country is experiencing a surge in coronavirus infections.
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There’s more than Isaias in the Atlantic. Hurricane center watching two more systems
7:50 a.m.: Two more weather systems are being tracked by the National Hurricane Center. Both are hundreds of miles from the Caribbean or the United States and pose no threat as of yet.
In a 5 a.m. advisory, the hurricane center said one of the systems is a tropical depression, the tenth this hurricane season. It is forecast to become a remnant on Saturday. On Friday, the depression was forecast to form into “a short-lived tropical storm.”
Tropical Depression 10 is about 200 miles east of the Cabo Verde Islands off Africa and is expected to continue north of the Islands later Saturday.
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Hurricane Isaias continues to cross Bahamas as Florida braces for a possible impact
7:45 a.m.: Hurricane Isaias’ potential path shifted west again Friday evening, upping the chances of a landfall along the southeast coast of Florida — possibly as a tropical storm — on Sunday.
The 5 a.m.. update from the National Hurricane Center said strong winds and heavy rains continue over the central Bahamas as the storm approaches Andros Island. Isaias was about 80 miles south of Nassau and was packing 85 mph winds.
The projection showed Isaias potentially scraping the beaches of Palm Beach County around 2 a.m. Sunday . Another shift west or even a wobble as it approaches could expose communities to the stronger winds around Isaias’ core.
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This story was originally published August 1, 2020 at 8:08 AM.
