Hurricane Isaias' anticipated Florida landfall is teeing up for a cloudy, wet weekend that will see heavy showers and thunderstorms in Virginia.
Dry conditions will persist Friday and Saturday, with peak temperatures reaching the mid-70s on both days. By Sunday, however, things take a dark turn.
National Weather Service forecasts indicate the first round of showers will arrive in the D.C. region after 4 a.m. Sunday, potentially totaling a tenth and a quarter of an inch.
Sunday will see intermittent showers, with thunderstorms possibly moving into the region after 5 p.m. Northern Virginia can also expect wind gusts to near 30 mph.
The storms are forecast to stick around through Sunday night, and potentially through Monday morning. NWS says there's a 60% chance the showers will impact commuters before 8 a.m. Monday.
Hurricane Isaias is expected to make landfall near Florida's Pensacola Beach area between 8 p.m. Friday and 1 a.m. Saturday.
Although the storm was upgraded to a Category 3, AccuWeather reports the cyclone could make landfall as a Category 2 hurricane.
"Isaias is in a race against the clock," AccuWeather expert meteorologist Tyler Roys said in a statement. "Strong winds high in the atmosphere are expected to disrupt the hurricane before landfall, but if those winds arrive even a few hours later than expected, Isais could maintain its Category 3 strength."
"Regardless of whether it makes landfall as a Category 2 hurricane or Category 3 hurricane, communities along the Gulf Coast face a serious threat from life-threatening storm surge, damaging winds and flooding."
The latest advisory from the National Hurricane Center says Isaias is moving north-northeast at 16 mph.
"Weakening is expected beginning tonight after Isaias makes landfall, and the storm is likely to become post-tropical by late Saturday," the alert reads.
Anywhere between 2 and 5 inches of rain, with isolated totals up to 10 inches, could fall across the U.S. Southeast. The NWS also says tornado risk is possible through the weekend.
Friday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 74. Northwest wind around 8 mph.
Friday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 52. Calm wind.
Saturday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 72. Calm wind becoming east 5 to 8 mph in the afternoon.
Saturday Night: Rain likely, mainly after 4am. Cloudy, with a low around 59. East wind 6 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
Sunday: Rain before 2pm, then showers between 2pm and 5pm, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 5pm. High near 68. East wind around 14 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%.
Sunday Night: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm before 11pm, then showers likely. Low around 63. Chance of precipitation is 80%.
Monday (Columbus Day): A chance of showers before 8am. Partly sunny, with a high near 74. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 58.
Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 78.
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