Gusty winds and heavy rains are spreading across the Leeward Islands on Wednesday as a tropical disturbance will soon turn into Tropical Storm Isaias and bring impacts to Puerto Rico.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami said the system is located about 240 miles southeast of San Juan, Puerto Rico with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph, moving from west to northwest at 23 mph.
“You can see there are 45 mph winds but it doesn’t have closed circulation yet.” Fox News senior meteorologist Janice Dean said on “Fox & Friends.” “So it has no name yet, Isais, but today we will think. It seems to be developing better in the Lesser Antilles.”
ATLANTIC HURRICANE SEASON: WHERE DO TROPICAL STORMS FORM IN JULY?
The NHC’s official forecast takes the center of the storm near southern Puerto Rico from Wednesday through Thursday morning, then directly through the mountainous terrain of Hispaniola, shared by the Dominican Republic and Haiti, on Thursday.
Tropical Cyclone Nine is forecast to become Tropical Storm Isaias sometime Wednesday.
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Tropical storm warnings are in effect for all of these locations along with a 4 to 8 inch flood threat of heavy rain. Flash floods and landslides will be possible with this system.
“Heavy rain will be the great story,” said Dean.
Several inches of rain are possible in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, leading to the threat of flash floods and landslides.
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Tropical storm force winds will also be possible in Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands. Tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 275 miles, primarily north and northeast from the center, according to the NHC.
Tropical storm warnings are in effect throughout the region.
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The long-term forecast for this future tropical storm remains highly uncertain, as environmental conditions with a combination of interaction and land disruption may prevent this system from becoming more organized later this week and over the weekend.
There are uncertainties for monitoring the system in the coming days.
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A route over the Dominican Republic and Cuba could tear up circulation or disrupt it enough to keep it from becoming much more than a threat of rain to anyone in its path.
TROPICAL STORM WARNINGS FOR PUERTO RICO, LEEWARD ISLANDS LIKE ISAIAS MAY IMPACT FLORIDA BY WEEKEND
The NHC’s official forecast has Isaias’ future moving across the Bahamas and potentially impacting Florida this weekend, but until he has closed circulation, the timing, track and intensity of the storm are still uncertain.
All states on the US East Coast, Florida and the Gulf Coast should be on the lookout for the latest forecast for potential tropical cyclone 9.
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Isaias would break the record for the first storm “I” in the Atlantic basin, continuing the record this summer for the last tropical systems.
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While eight named storms have been developed so far, forecasts call for 13-19 named storms during the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November 30.
The names of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season.
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The 2020 Atlantic hurricane season will include the names: Arthur, Bertha, Christopher, Dolly, Edouard, Fay, Gonzalo, Hanna, Isaias, Josephine, Kyle, Laura, Marco, Nana, Omar, Paulette, Rene, Sally, Teddy, Vicky and Wilfred
