Hurricane Isaias Moves towards Bahamas and Florida

By Yanet Díaz

HAVANA TIMES – Hurricane Isaias is currently about 60 km southeast of the Bahamas and has been affecting neighboring regions for several hours, including some areas of eastern Cuba.

The storm system is moving northwest at a rate of 22 km/h, and packs sustained winds of 120 km/h with higher gusts, up to 157 km/h. The outer bands that have affected the northeastern coast of Cuba with high waves in some areas and some light coastal flooding due to the sea penetration in low areas of that region.

Currently, Isaias’ minimum central pressure is 991 millibars, and although heavy rain is occurring in the northern half of the hurricane, some intermittent showers have been affecting numerous regions of eastern Cuba.

The intensity forecast indicates that on Friday night or during the morning of Saturday Isaias may intensify slightly, remaining a hurricane for the next two days.

The trajectory forecast indicates that it will continue moving towards the northwest, with a slight decrease in its travel speed during the next 24 hours. Thus, it will continue to move over the northwest Bahamas on Saturday, approaching the eastern shore of the Florida peninsula on Saturday night or Sunday morning.

Therefore, as Isaias continues its displacement to the northwest, the cloud and rain bands with gusts of strong winds will increase in the eastern and central regions of Cuba. Rainfall accumulations produced by Isaias can reach up to 25 and 30 mm, which can be higher in some areas. The accumulated rainfall can cause flooding in low areas or those with poor drainage.

At the moment, Isaias is not expected to affect Havana and the western region of Cuba with its current movement forecast, so the probability of perceiving winds associated with this tropical system remains very low for this region of the country.