Tropical storm Isaias slams Puerto Rico with floods and landslides as it barrels closer to U.S. coast

Tropical Storm Isaias hovered near Puerto Rico on Thursday, slamming the island with landslides and “potentially life-threatening” flash floods as it barreled ever closer to Florida and the United States mainland

Tropical storm warnings and watches were implemented from Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands through the Bahamas after Isaias formed Wednesday over the Caribbean Sea.

The storm, moving west northwest at a speed of 20 mph, was centered about 125 miles west of Ponce, Puerto Rico, and about 105 miles east-southeast of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center’s most recent update. It is expected to move over Hispaniola later in the day and approach the southeastern Bahamas by early Friday.

Both Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands should expect “tropical storm conditions” to continue through the morning and should prepare for three to six inches of rain, and up to eight inches in “isolated” areas, the National Weather Service said.

Rivers could flood, the weather center warned, in addition to some urban streams. “Life-threatening surf and rip current conditions” are also predicted in places where Isaias will pass through.

According to the National Hurricane Center, the tropical storm had maximum sustained winds of 60 mph, with stronger gusts in certain areas. The winds extended outward up to 345 miles.

At least 300,000 residents in Puerto Rico, where they are still recovering from previous hurricanes and earthquakes, were already without power early Thursday.

“Isaias is sending some mixed signals,” the forecast discussion stated. “Model forecasts are showing a complex evolution of the tropical cyclone during the next day or two.”

The storm is forecast to approach southern Florida either late Friday night or early Saturday. The Sunshine State, also hard hit with by the COVID-19 pandemic, has already closed down COVID-19 testing centers in anticipation of the storm.

Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Giménez told CNN he is also concerned about maintaining social distancing guidelines if residents are forced to evacuate.

"Look, if we have a major hurricane here then we're going to have to evacuate a number of people and then we're going to have to ... try to keep them separated as much as possible," he said. "That's a concern."

“When you’re not testing is also a concern,” Gimenez added. “But the greater danger, the immediate danger has to be taken care of first, and that’s getting our people out of harm’s way.”

Isaias is the earliest ninth Atlantic named storm to form, according to Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach. The previous record was Irene on Aug. 7, 2005, Klotzbach tweeted.

With News Wire Services