Today | News | Books | Recipes Isaias strengthens into the first hurricane of the Atlantic season Isaias strengthens into the first hurricane of the Atlantic season Text-Only Version Go To Full Site As of Thursday afternoon, Isaias was about 355 miles south of the mouth of the Mississippi River, moving east-northeast at 10 mph. The storm's maximum sustained winds were 85 mph, the hurricane center said. Related Story: NPR Isaias doesn't have a classic hurricane shape; instead, it leans like an italicized O. And that likely means trouble for Florida, DeSantis said in an update Thursday afternoon, noting that hurricanes' worst impacts are often on their northeastern quadrant. "The issue with this storm is it's a very eastside-heavy storm," DeSantis said, noting that forecasts predict landfall near Mobile Bay and the Florida-Alabama line - meaning much of Florida's panhandle could bear the brunt of the storm. He said that area should prepare for power outages. When the storm does arrive, it will drench ground that's already been soaked by recent heavy rainfall. "We are saturated" in that area of Florida, DeSantis said. A wide swath of the Gulf Coast is under a hurricane warning, from Ocean Springs, Miss., to the area around Mexico Beach in Florida. Storm surge alerts cover an even larger area. If the storm surge's peak coincides with high tide, it could hit the coastline from Ocean Springs to Indian Pass, Fla., with 5 to 7 feet of water. Describing Florida's preparations, DeSantis said more than 6,000 utility linemen and restoration workers are standing by. The Florida National Guard expects to have approximately 5,000 personnel available to help, he said. Isaias ends an extraordinary four-month run with no other Atlantic hurricanes since the season began on June 1. "While we anticipated a well below-average season this year, it's certainly been surprising to see just how quiet it has been," Philip Klotzbach, a research scientist in the Department of Atmospheric Science at Colorado State University, told NPR. Since 1851, only three hurricane seasons on record have had no hurricanes through Oct. 7, Klotzbach said - though he noted that some early storms might have been missed in the era before aircraft reconnaissance or satellites. Related Story: NPR The center predicts Isaias could bring up to 10 inches of rain to some areas, with 3 to 7 inches possible from southeastern Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle over the weekend. Isaias is expected to turn toward the Northeast over Thursday and Friday; the hurricane center said forecast models are somewhat divided over the exact timing of those shifts, which would determine where the storm makes landfall. Related Story: NPR Warmer sea surface temperatures are linked to human-caused climate change, a critical factor in making hurricanes larger and more likely to bring intense winds and rainfall when they make landfall. El Niño's storm-inhibiting effects aren't as strong in the Gulf of Mexico as they are in the tropical Atlantic, Klotzbach said. The new hurricane, he added, formed with the help of a cyclonic "gyre" system that can generate storms on either side of Central America. It's responsible for both Isaias in the Atlantic and for Tropical Depression 20E in the Pacific. A potentially positive aspect of the forecast is that Isaias is expected to move quickly over land after making landfall, rather than hovering over already-inundated areas. "Isaias will be moving quickly as it comes onshore, which should hopefully reduce the chances for catastrophic flooding," Klotzbach said. But, he adds, the storm will still bring dangerous amounts of rain. Links
Browse another page: |