Isaias Could Become Hurricane As It Pulls Away From Florida

Isaias was forecast to be near hurricane strength as it approached the Carolinas Monday, just a day after bands of heavy rain from the tropical storm lashed Florida’s east coast.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center issued a hurricane warning from South Santee River, South Carolina, to Surf City, North Carolina, in its 8 a.m. advisory.

Tropical Storm Isaias had maximum sustained winds of 70 mph and was expected to strengthen later Monday, forecasters said. A Category 1 hurricane has winds of 74 to 95 mph.

Over the weekend, Isaias brought heavy rain and flooding to Florida as officials kept a close eye on the storm while dealing with surging cases of the coronavirus.

The storm had weakened from a hurricane to a tropical storm on Saturday afternoon, and its most damaging winds remained offshore.