The National Hurricane Center is tracking Tropical Storm Isaias, which has formed in the Gulf of Mexico and is moving toward the U.S. northern Gulf Coast. On Friday, the storm is expected to approach that region as a hurricane, becoming the first hurricane of the Atlantic Basin season and the ninth named storm of the year.
The hurricane center said Wednesday that “hurricane watches will likely be required for a portion of the U.S. northern Gulf coast later today.” Isaias grew from Tropical Depression Nine on Wednesday and is pronounced “ees-ah-EE-ahs.” The storm is forecast to rapidly strengthen as it passes north of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula on Thursday.
What the storm brings
The center forecasts 3 to 6 inches of rain across the Gulf Coast region, with up to 10 inches in some places, as Isaias moves through the Gulf Coast and into the rest of the Southeast this weekend into early next week.
Southeastern Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle are expected to see the heaviest totals. Midweek next week could also bring this moisture to the Ohio Valley and Northeast, according to some longer-range forecast models.
Some places along the storm’s path face a risk of heavy rain, with the center saying that urban flooding and isolated river flooding could develop. The center added that up to 10 inches of rain may fall in parts of the central Gulf Coast as the storm moves through.
The path of Isaias
Isaias is expected to reach the U.S. Gulf Coast on Friday, after becoming a hurricane. The models show it passing north of the Yucatan Peninsula on Thursday, before heading toward the U.S. coast the following day.
When the hurricane center released its Wednesday update, it said tropical storm-force winds were spreading outward up to 45 miles from the storm’s center. The center also warned of dangerous wind and storm surge risks, urging people living in Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi and northern Florida to monitor the latest forecast updates and ensure they have their hurricane plan in place.
The “I” in the name
This year’s Atlantic hurricane season has barely begun, and an early storm with a notable name has already formed. The systems nicknamed after letters in the “I” spot of the alphabetical list tend to see their names retired more often than any others within the Atlantic basin.
The most commonly known retired “I”-named storms are Ian (2022), Ida (2021), Irma (2017), and Irene (2011). When Ike was retired in 2008, Isaias replaced the “I” name on the Atlantic tropical cyclones list, which rotates every six years.
Preparations on the ground
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday signed an executive order declaring a state of emergency for 25 Florida counties ahead of the storm’s arrival. DeSantis said in a statement that the order “ensures communities have the time and resources necessary to prepare for potential severe weather impacts to the Panhandle and Big Bend region of Florida.”
The Pacific season is still seeing more activity from El Niño, while the Atlantic season has more than two months left before it ends on Nov. 30. The message from the center remains the same: this storm is moving quickly, and the chances of something dangerous happening are rising.
The danger is increasing, and the storm is pressing forward with growing speed.
See the video the story is built around at CBS News.
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