A weather system forecasted to enter the Gulf of Mexico is likely to become the ninth named tropical storm, Isaias, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The storm is forecasted to bring rain and wind impacts to Florida later in the week and the weekend. Forecasters stress the uncertainty of the current long-range forecast as the system does not have a well-defined center.
The system will produce heavy rain and “potentially life-threatening flash floods and mudslides across the Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic,” according to the NHC. Tropical storm warnings are in effect for these countries as well as the Bahamas, the Turks and Caicos Islands, and Haiti.
Currently, the system is tracked to make its way up to Florida by Saturday and the Tampa Bay region by Sunday. The forecast is likely to change as the system moves westward.
The current Hurricane season is proving to be a hyperactive one, as forecasted in May by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Gov. Ron DeSantis took to Twitter this morning to inform the state of the current forecasts and encourage Floridians to purchase and stock a week of supplies.
“We are closely monitoring a tropical system with @FLSERT,” it read. “Forecasts are predicting heavy rainfall and strong winds will impact Florida beginning Saturday through early next week. Floridians should prepare now by having at least 7 days of disaster supplies.”
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This article appears in Jul 23-29, 2020.