No longer a potential cyclone, Tropical

Storm Isaias formed over the Caribbean and is primed to deliver

life-threatening rains and heavy winds to northwest sections of the region on Thursday

(July 30).

According to the latest advisory from the National

Hurricane Center (NHC), the eye of Tropical Storm Isaias was located at latitude

17.6 North, longitude 68.5 West—or 175 kilometres east-southeast of Santo

Domingo in the Dominican Republic as at 7:00 am Eastern Standard Time (EST).

The system is moving northwest at 31

kilometres/hour and packing maximum sustained winds around 95 kilometres/hour,

with higher gusts.

Isaias has slowed in forward speed since

becoming the ninth-named tropical storm of the 2020 Atlantic Hurricane Season,

as the NHC expecting the massive low-pressure system to slow further over the

next 48 hours.

Tropical storm warnings have been

discontinued across most sections of the Leeward Islands, having been spared

the worst of its effects.

The warnings are still at their highest level for Puerto Rico; the British and US Virgin Islands; the entire northern and southern coast of the Dominican Republic; Haiti’s north coast; southeast and the central Bahamas; as well as the Turks & Caicos Islands.

What’s more, a tropical storm watch has

been activated for the northwest Bahamas, which effectively covers the entire archipelago;

while interests in Cuba and southeast Florida being urged to continue to

monitor developments in the coming days.

In the meantime, the US-based NHC noted

that it anticipates little change in strength for Tropical Storm Isaias until

landfall in Dominican Republic later today, with re-strengthening forecast on Friday

and Saturday.

Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward

up to 665 kilometres from Isaias’ centre.

The hurricane watchdog further indicated

that Isaias is could produce up to six inches of rain accumulation in British

and U.S. Virgin Islands and Turks and Caicos.

Conditions up to six inches could also be

experienced in Puerto Rico and northern Haiti, with isolated maximum totals of

eight inches being possible.

The Dominican Republic could see the worst

of Isaias, up to eight inches of rainfall, with isolated maximum totals closer

to 10 inches.

Between four and eight inches of rain could be experienced in The Bahamas, while up to four inches for Cuba, with isolated maximum totals of six inches.