Isaias expected to become season’s first hurricane
Deep into a quiet Atlantic hurricane season, forecasters are calling for Tropical Storm Isaias to develop into the first hurricane of the year.
According to the National Hurricane Center, Isaias is “quickly intensifying” and is forecasted to be a hurricane by Thursday morning.
Isaias, as of Wednesday, is east of Mexico and is projected to move northeast towards the U.S. Gulf Coast.
NHC maps show Isaias arriving to areas of the Florida panhandle in the early morning hours on Saturday just after midnight.
“On the forecast track, Isaias is expected to pass to the north of the Yucatan Peninsula on Thursday and make landfall along the U.S. northern Gulf Coast late Friday or early Saturday,” wrote Senior Hurricane Specialist Eric Blake. “Isaias will bring areas of heavy rainfall to the central U.S. Gulf Coast and much of the Southeast Friday into the weekend. Flash and urban flooding, along with isolated river flooding, will be possible.”
On Tuesday, Gov, Ron DeSantis signed Executive Order 26-202 declaring a state of emergency for 25 Florida counties in preparation for Isaias.
“Today, I signed an Executive Order issuing a state of emergency ahead of potential impacts from Tropical Depression 9. This order will allow the Florida Division of Emergency Management to stage critical preparedness resources and ensure Florida is ready to respond,” said Governor Ron DeSantis on Tuesday. “Floridians should take this time to get disaster plans in place and ensure their hurricane supply kit is stocked.”
DeSantis issued the State of Emergency for the following counties: Baker, Bay, Calhoun, Columbia, Dixie, Escambia, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Gulf, Hamilton, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, Leon, Liberty, Madison, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Suwannee, Taylor, Walton, Wakulla, and Washington.
DeSantis’ office stated that SERT teams are currently mobilizing resources to support storm preparation and response efforts. Officials stated that resources will be strategically staged in Tallahassee and the Santa Rosa area to cover the storm’s rapid deployment as needed.