Isaias became better organized last night despite land interaction with Hispaniola and the Hurricane Hunters confirmed the storm is now a hurricane with 80 mph winds. The NHC currently forecasts wind speeds to reach 100 mph by Saturday morning. Wind shear and some dry air should keep the system from strengthening beyond that, but a weak category 2 is not out of the question.

The GFS and EURO models have trended a bit west closer to the east FL coast. A FL landfall with direct impacts cannot be ruled out. The stronger the storm gets, the more chance it may stay just offshore. Hurricane watches may be required for portions of FL.

Impacts along the FL coast will still occur even if the center stays offshore. In fact, impacts will be possible along the entire east coast from FL to Maine. Tropical storm watches have been issued for parts of FL and a hurricane warning for the northwestern Bahamas. All interests and residents form FL to Maine should monitor the progress of Isaias closely over the next few days. Stay tuned for updates.

We will have another discussion on Isaias posted this afternoon on Friday 7/31/2020. Tap here for the latest and most up to date information on Isaias.

If you want to upgrade the maps you see in Hurricane Tracker to our premium graphics which are much more detailed, check out more information here. Thank you for using Hurricane Tracker.

Discussion written by Railey Kelly with the Hurricane Tracker App Team.

Wind field graphic from our new premium graphics section. The NHC forecasts the winds to peak near 100 mph SAT AM while tracking through the Bahamas.