Isaac update

A spectacular NOAA image of the inside of Tropical Storm Isaac, taken early Thursday morning.

Tropical storm Isaac has assumed a northwest motion at 14mph and has crossed over extreme southwest Haiti this morning. Isaac has 60mph winds and is located about 95 miles south of Guantanamo, Cuba. The storm is now taking aim at extreme eastern Cuba and eventually the Florida Keys. Forecasters  with NHC expect Isaac to increase in strength and reach hurricane force over the next 24 hours. The storm is forecast to cross the Florida Keys on Sunday. For that reason a hurricane warning is now in effect for the Florida Keys including the Dry Tortugas and the the west coast of Florida from Bonita Beach to Florida Bay. Conditions will rapidly deteriorate over the next 24 hours as the extreme outer rain bands begin to affect the keys. At 9am Key West was reporting 36mph wind gusts and heavy rain. Beyond 24 hours all interests along the Gulf Coast need to monitor Isaac. This storm has the potential to rapidly gain strength and become a strong storm before affecting the region between New Orleans and the big bend area of Florida with the focus being on the Panama City/Pensacola area at this time.

The next Isaac update on my blog will be near 7pm with Twitter feeds all day.