Hurricane Isaias is expected to benear the Bahamas today and Florida this weekend. It's then forecast to track up the East Coast and as far north as New England early next week.
The National Hurricane Center's 8 a.m. advisory has the storm approximately 340 miles southeast of Nassau, Bahamas.
Residents of coastal Florida should expect the possibility of tropical storm force winds and rain on Saturday and Sunday.
At 800 AM EDT, the center of Hurricane Isaias was located by NOAA and Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft near latitude 21.3 North, longitude 73.9 West.
Isaias is moving toward the northwest near 17 mph, and a generally northwestward motion with some decrease in forward speed is expected for the next couple of days followed by a turn toward the north-northwest. On the forecast track, the center of Isaias will move near or over the Southeastern Bahamas today. Isaias is forecast to be near the
Central Bahamas tonight, and move near or over the Northwestern Bahamas and be near or east of the Florida peninsula on Saturday and Sunday.
Maximum sustained winds are near 80 mph with higher gusts. Some strengthening is possible today, and Isaias is expected to remain a hurricane for the next few days.
Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 45 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 205 miles.
A private weather observing site at Long Bay Beach in Providenciales recently reported a sustained wind of 55 mph and a gust to 59 mph.
Reports from the reconnaissance aircraft indicate that the minimum
central pressure is 990 mb (29.24 inches).
Image: National Hurricane Center