Satellite of Hurricane Isaias, courtesy of NOAA.
As of early Friday morning, Isaias was upgraded to a Category 1 hurricane.
A hurricane watch has been issued for portions of Florida’s east coast as Hurricane Isaias continues to hover over the Bahamas.
The NHC released an update at 11 a.m.: the storm currently has maximum sustained winds of 75 mph and is moving northwest at 16 mph. It is expected to continue to strengthen Friday and remain a hurricane over the weekend.
Portions of the Florida east coast from north of Deerfield Beach northward to the Volusia-Brevard County Line, near Melbourne are under a Hurricane Watch.
A Tropical Storm Warning has been issued for portions of the Florida east coast from north of Ocean Reef northward to Sebastian Inlet and for Lake Okeechobee.
Friday night through Monday, South Florida to east-central Florida could see up to six inches of rain.
There are two other disturbances in the Atlantic, both with less than a 40 percent chance of becoming a cyclone within the next 48 hours.
There have been no further updates from the City of Gulfport. The storm is not expected to significantly impact the Tampa Bay area.
For more information residents can sign up for Alert Pinellas, keep an eye on your local news media (the Gabber will be posting regular updates), and the National Weather Service. Find other updates from the county on Facebook @PinellasCountyNews and Twitter @PinellasCoNews.
If you haven’t already, you can review tips and planning tools in the 2020 All Hazard Guide online.
