Hurricane Isaias continues to grow and march in the general direction of the United States, prompting the Miami-based National Hurricane Center to issue Hurricane Warnings there.
A Hurricane Warning is now in effect for the east coast of Florida from Boca Raton to the Volusia/Brevard County Line. A Hurricane Watch is in effect from the Volusia/Brevard County Line to the Flagler/Volusia County Line and from south of Boca Raton to Hallendale Beach. A Storm Surge Watch is also in effect for the east coast of Florida from Jupiter Inlet to Ponte Vedre Beach. A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect from the Flagler/Volusia County Line to Ponte Vedre Beach. A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for Lake Okeechobee.
Additional watches/warnings may be needed further north up the U.S. East Coast in the coming days.
Each watch & warning has a different meaning. A Hurricane Warning means that hurricane conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area. A warning is typically issued 36 hours before the anticipated first occurrence of tropical-storm-force winds, conditions that make outside preparations difficult or dangerous. Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion. A Hurricane Watch means that hurricane conditions are possible within the watch area. A Hurricane Watch is typically issued 48 hours before the anticipated first occurrence of tropical-storm-force winds, conditions that make outside preparations difficult or dangerous. A Storm Surge Watch means there is a possibility of life-threatening inundation, from rising water moving inland from the coastline, in the indicated locations during the next 48 hours.
A Tropical Storm Warning means that tropical storm conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area within 36 hours. A Tropical Storm Watch means that tropical storm conditions are possible within the watch area, generally within 48 hours.
The hurricane is forecast to impact the Florida coast late Saturday or early Sunday and then move up the U.S. East Coast. It is possible that every state from Florida to Maine along the Atlantic Coast could see direct impacts from this storm in the coming days.
