Tropical Storm Isaias could affect Southeast coast this weekend

COLUMBUS (WCMH) — Tropical storm Isaias formed in the Caribbean Sea early Thursday and will likely threaten portions of Florida and the Southeast coast this weekend.

The National Hurricane Center 2 p.m. advisory placed the storm over the eastern part of the Dominican Republic, with maximum sustained winds of 60 mph. The storm was moving northwest at 20 mph. Tropical storm-force winds extend out for 315 miles from the center–a very broad system.

The storm lashed portions of Puerto Rico with wind and rain. There are signs the center may “jump” to the north side of the Dominican Republic.

Present steering winds would take Isaias through the Bahamas to the Florida Peninsula early in the weekend. There is no certainty regarding landfall this early, which depends on the intensity of the system. A stronger storm would likely impact the Florida East Coast northward to the Carolinas through Sunday.

Isaias is the earliest ninth named storm of the Atlantic tropical storm season, which has been attributed to unusually warm sea surface temperatures in parts of the Atlantic Basin, including the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean.

Steering weather systems presently include a Bermuda High in the western Atlantic and high pressure in the southwestern U.S., creating a “weakness” in the flow. Secondarily, a deepening low pressure trough aloft will dip into the Tennessee Valley over the weekend, which if strong enough could help steer the storm closer to the Atlantic Coast.