Charlotte to dodge the worst of Hurricane Isaias, forecaster says. Here’s the latest
It may be a little breezier, and more rain could fall, but the Charlotte area should see “minimal” impact from Hurricane Isaias, a National Weather Service meteorologist said.
Although much could change with the storm’s projected path this weekend, Charlotte is expected to be well west of the full brunt of the storm, meteorologist Justin Lane of the NWS office in Greer, S.C., told the Observer at 5 p.m. Friday.
On Saturday, maps released at 8 a.m. by the National Hurricane Center of the storm’s projected path continued to show Charlotte avoiding Isaias.
“It’s looking like the impact for the Charlotte area will be fairly minimal,” Lane said Friday night.
“Right now, there’s less than a 10% risk of tropical storm force winds for the Piedmont,” according to the meteorologist.
National Hurricane Center maps show Isaias keeping well to the east of the Charlotte area, with central and eastern parts of the state being most at risk for heavy rains and resulting flooding.
Still, Charlotte could see up to a couple of inches of rain from the outer bands of the hurricane, according to the maps released at 8 a.m.
On Friday, Gov. Roy Cooper declared a state of emergency in advance of the storm.
Winds and rain from the storm are expected to reach southeastern North Carolina Monday and move up the coastline in under 12 hours, according to the National Hurricane Center’s Friday afternoon forecast.
Striking the Bahamas
At 8 a.m. Saturday, the “ragged” eye of Isaias was nearing Andros Island in the northwestern Bahamas and was expected to approach the southeastern coast of Florida later Saturday, according a National Hurricane Center update..
The National Hurricane Center issued a hurricane warning for the east coast of Florida from Boca Raton to the Volusia/Flagler county line.
As it moves up the East Coast packing 75 mph winds, the hurricane is expected to dump 2 to 4 inches of rain on Eastern North Carolina and cause flash flooding, according to the Hurricane Center..
(The name of the storm is pronounced ee-sah-EE-ahs, according to the National Weather Service office in Melbourne, Fla.)
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Incident Management Team, which includes police, firefighters, EMS and other responders, said in a tweet Thursday it remains on alert, “as the anticipated track may approach the Carolinas early next week.”
Meanwhile, the Charlotte metro area and rest of the Piedmont face a dangerously high heat index of up to 105 Saturday. The heat index is what the weather feels like when temperature is combined with humidity. Charlotte could see a high of 95 Saturday.
Charlotte can expect a 70 percent chance of showers Sunday night and an 80 percent chance of rain on Monday, according to the latest NWS forecast at 9 a.m. Saturday.
This story was originally published July 30, 2020 at 11:46 AM with the headline "Charlotte to dodge the worst of Hurricane Isaias, forecaster says. Here’s the latest."