At 11am this morning, Isaac was still a tropical storm, with maximum sustained winds of 65mph. The center of the storm is easily within radar range, and I have a very long loop from Key West showing the passage of multiple rainbands and now the proto-eyewall. A single frame lets you see the center quickly approaching the southern Keys.
This is a relatively large storm, with tropical storm force winds extending 205 miles from the center. A recent visible satellite image puts the size of the storm with its rainbands in perspective.
A detailed hourly forecast from the NWS shows the brunt of the storm will be upon us later this afternoon. Sites in our general area have received 3-5” of rain so far, and could see another few inches before the storm moves away later on Monday. Aside from the danger of flooding, there is a risk of tornadoes associated with hurricanes near/over land.
Isaac will have another couple of days over the warm eastern and central Gulf of Mexico, and will very likely intensify to a hurricane as it travels to the northwest then north toward the north-central Gulf coast. As it looks now, it should make its final landfall somewhere in the north-central Gulf coast as at least a Category 2 hurricane – on the exact 7-year anniversary of Katrina’s infamous landfall. I will continue to watch the situation closely.
Brian McNoldy
Senior Research Associate
& Author of Tropical Atlantic Update
Follow Brian on Twitter: @BMcNoldy