As of 11 pm on July 29, 2020, Tropical Storm Isaias formed in the Caribbean Sea. It is the earliest “I” storm ever (remember Irma in 2017 made landfall in SW Florida on September 10). It is a disorganized storm, which makes its track and strength harder to predict. It is also expected to interact with Hispaniola on Thursday, which could keep it weak, and is experiencing some influence from Saharan dust, which will further keep it from strengthening. The current forecast does not bring it up to hurricane strength but predicts it will stay a tropical storm. The latest forecast is farther to the east than earlier forecasts today and shows it moving up the coast starting in southeast Florida on Saturday night and passing North Carolina sometime Monday night. The cone shows it could come on shore or it could stay offshore and hug the coast. Still too early to say. I continue to think that we will see mostly some heavy rain and some gusty winds from the storm, and certainly not any widespread damage. Keep watching, as the forecasts will continue to change as the storm moves over the islands in the next day or two.
