Tropical Storm Isaac gained fresh muscle Sunday as it bore down on the Florida Keys and forecasters warned Isaac could grow into an extremely dangerous Category 2 hurricane as it begins tracking toward the northern Gulf Coast.
Isaac's drew new strength early Sunday during a warm-water crossing of the Florida Straits after causing weekend havoc in Cuba, where it downed trees and power lines, and after leaving four dead earlier in Haiti.
On Key West, locals followed time-worn storm preparedness rituals while awaiting the storm after Isaac swamped the Caribbean and shuffled plans for the Republican National Convention. Forecasters said the storm was expected to reach the archipelago later Sunday or Sunday night at or near hurricane strength.
"Currently Isaac is a tropical storm that's expected to become a hurricane as it reaches Key West ... then it will move into the Gulf of Mexico and is expected to strengthen" further, said Meteorologist Jessica Schauer with the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami.
"Our forecast is that as the system moves northward it is forecast to strengthen to a Category 2," she said, adding an ultimate landfall is possible on the northern Gulf Coast late Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning.
"Definitely the northern Gulf Coast should be preparing for a hurricane right now," she added, speaking with The Associated Press by telephone.
AP Photo/Alan Diaz
A Category 2 hurricane is capable of top sustained winds of 96-100 mph (154-177 kph). Schauer cautioned that Isaac also poses a threat of destructive storm surges though she noted forecasts extending out as far as Tuesday or Wednesday are subject to greater uncertainty.
Thus, she said, a wide swath of the Gulf Coast, including the thousands of people gathering for the Republican National Convention in Tampa set to begin Monday, should remain alert to the storm's progress.
Forecast models show Isaac likely won't hit Tampa head-on, but it could have lashed the city with rain and strong winds just as the convention was ramping up. A tropical storm warning was extended north of Tampa Bay.
Convention officials said they would convene the convention briefly on Monday, then immediately recess until Tuesday afternoon, when the storm should have passed. Florida Gov. Rick Scott, a Republican, declared a state of emergency and canceled his plans to attend convention events on Sunday and Monday.
As of 5 a.m. EDT, the storm was centered about 205 miles (330 kms) east-southeast of Key West, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami. Isaac had strengthened in recent hours, with maximum sustained winds of 65 mph (100 kph) while crossing open water.
Forecaters said a hurricane hunter plane found the top sustained winds had increased from about 60 mph (95 kph) just hous earlier.
Isaac was then forecast to move over the southeast Gulf of Mexico on Monday. It was moving to the northwest toward the Keys at 18 mph (30 kph). Tropical storm-force winds extended outward up to 205 miles (335 kph) from the center, giving Isaac a broad sweep as it passed.
A hurricane warning was in effect for the Keys, including the Dry Tortugas and for the west coast of Florida from Bonita Beach south to Ocean Reef, among some other areas, authorities said.
Meanwhile authorities said a new hurricane watch has been issued from the mouth of the Mississippi River — not including the New Orleans metro area — eastward to Indian Pass., Fla.
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