Tropical Storm Isaias: How It Affects Alabama

BIRMINGHAM, AL — Tropical Storm Isaias formed late Wednesday night in the Atlantic, threatening to deliver heavy rain and strong winds to the Atlantic coast off Florida over the weekend, then curving northeast toward the Outer Banks of North Carolina by Monday night. Fortunately for Alabamians, the storm, as it looks now, will skip over the state.

As of Thursday morning, the storm was southwest of Puerto Rico with sustained winds of 60 mph, according to a report from the National Hurricane Center.

"Isaias will not affect Alabama or the central Gulf Coast (Gulf Shores, Pensacola, Destin, Panama City Beach)," Birmingham meteorologist James Spann said Thursday. "It has potential to bring periods of heavy rain and gusty winds to the Florida Peninsula, especially cities on the Atlantic coast, over the weekend."

The intensity models have been trending higher, Spann said, and the official forecast is nudged upward accordingly, now showing a peak intensity of 70 mph when the storm is near the coast of Florida and the Southeast U.S. coast. "It should be noted that there are models that show hurricane strength near the U.S., but, given the large amount of uncertainty, it is preferred to stay on the conservative side for now," Spann said. "We should have a better idea of how strong Isaias will become near the U.S. after reconnaissance aircraft sample the storm and after it passes Hispaniola later today."

Spann said that a new center to the storm could form, and the environmental conditions would support gradual intensification.