Isaias weakens, but lull is temporary, experts say. Here’s latest for South Carolina

Category 1 Hurricane Isaias weakened to a tropical storm Saturday afternoon, but the lull is temporary, according to the National Hurricane Center.

The storm, which currently has 70 mph sustained winds, will regain hurricane strength overnight, experts say.

It is expected to drop 2 to 7 inches of rain as forecasters predict the storm will have its most significant impact on Monday.

All of South Carolina will see rain from the storm, with the western half of the state getting 2 inches and the eastern half getting up to 5 inches, the National Hurricane Center said Saturday.

Some eastern counties will get as much as 7 inches, leading to warnings from the National Weather Service in communities such as Hilton Head and Charleston.

“Heavy rainfall from Isaias could result in potentially life-threatening flash and urban flooding, especially in low-lying and poorly drained areas. Minor river flooding is possible across portions of the Carolinas and into Virginia,” the National Hurricane Center said in the 8 a.m. update.

The first hint of high winds from the storm will reach South Carolina around 8 p.m. Sunday, the National Hurricane Center predicts. The winds will be largely felt in the eastern half of the state, forecasters said early Saturday.

Isaias will be 35 miles off Myrtle Beach Monday, resulting in 45 to 50 mph winds on beaches in the late afternoon and gusts of 60 mph, according to Mark Malsick of the S.C. State Climate Office with the Department of Natural Resources. At Charleston, winds will be around 35 mph, gusting to 50 mph at 4 p.m. Monday, he said in a release. The winds will ease around 1 a.m. Tuesday, he said.

The storm has slowed in its trek toward the east coast, the National Weather Service said in an 8 a.m. update on Saturday. That means the storm will impact South Carolina later than previous predictions. Forecasters are now saying that the state will likely feel the most significant impacts on Monday or Monday night.

Isaias started the day with sustained winds of 85 mph but weakened to 70 mph by Saturday afternoon. A re-strengthening is expected overnight as it approaches the southeast coast of Florida, officials say.

Forecasters remain divided on whether the storm will make landfall as it reaches the East Coast. The storm’s track appears to be shifting “a bit more west” making it more likely, experts say.

Isaias continued to slow as it neared Florida and is now moving northwest at just 10 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.

The center of Isaias “will move near or over the Central Bahamas” Saturday morning then head toward the Florida peninsula Friday night through Saturday, the center said.

Tropical-storm-force winds extended outward up to 105 miles from the center on Saturday evening.

This story was originally published August 1, 2020 at 6:09 AM.