A tropical storm hundreds of miles away could dampen Maryland's weekend, with moisture from Isaias expected to spread north into the Mid-Atlantic after the storm hits the Gulf Coast.
The biggest impact in Maryland currently looks to be rain, with showers potentially arriving Saturday night and becoming more widespread Sunday.
Rain could linger into Monday, although the timing and track remain uncertain, according to the National Weather Service.
Tropical Storm Isaias was churning through the southwestern Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday morning with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph.
The National Hurricane Center expects Isaias to rapidly strengthen into a hurricane Thursday before approaching the northern Gulf Coast on Friday.
The storm is expected to grow larger as it nears land, meaning heavy rain and strong winds could stretch far from its center.
After landfall, Isaias is forecast to weaken and move inland. Its remnants are expected to head toward the Tennessee and Ohio valleys over the weekend, but tropical moisture from both the Gulf and Atlantic could stream north toward Maryland.
For now, forecasters around Baltimore and Washington, D.C. are emphasizing rain as Maryland's primary concern rather than damaging winds.
The weather should stay relatively quiet through Friday. Rain chances begin increasing Saturday night, with Sunday currently looking like the wettest part of the weekend.
The National Weather Service said rain could continue into Monday depending on how quickly Isaias moves after landfall.
It remains uncertain how much rain Maryland will receive. The storm is still days away, and relatively small changes in its track and speed could change where the heaviest rain develops.
AccuWeather is warning that some of Isaias' more dangerous inland effects could unfold across the Carolinas, where tropical downpours could trigger flash flooding and mudslides and potentially produce tornadoes.
"People often focus on where a hurricane makes landfall, but that only tells part of the story," AccuWeather hurricane expert Nicholas Arman said. "Communities hundreds of miles from the coast can end up dealing with serious impacts from the same storm."
While those more serious impacts aren't currently forecast for Maryland, the same surge of tropical moisture will be worth watching as the weekend approaches.
Here's the current outlook:
No weather watches or warnings were in effect for Maryland as of Wednesday afternoon.
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