Name: Tropical Storm Isaias spared South Florida, but it was a good practice run in a busy hurricane season
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Tropical Storm Isaias spared South Florida, but it was a good practice run in a busy hurricane season

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AdvertisementBy South Florida Sun-SentinelAug 03, 2020 at 11:12 pmIt was South Florida’s first hurricane threat this season, but the storm that arrived as Tropical Storm Isaias amounted to little more than that — a threat.The slow-moving storm frustrated Floridians who didn’t know what to expect or when, and it grew into a hurricane for a time, but it couldn’t keep up its strength against unfavorable conditions and ultimately slid past South Florida without causing much damage.AdvertisementMany areas in Broward and Palm Beach counties experienced tropical-force winds of at least 39 mph, according to the National Weather Service. And thousands lost power overnight Saturday. But warnings that Isaias could redevelop into a hurricane never materialized.By Sunday afternoon, Isaias was on its way up the coast. At 11 p.m., it was 50 miles east of Cape Canaveral and was maintaining its top winds of 70 mph as it at a leisurely 9 mph.AdvertisementDespite unfavorable conditions over the past few days, the cyclone managed to hold together, which indicated it had a deep, well-formed vertical circulation, according to meteorologists with the National Hurricane Center. That circulation led to a burst of convection northeast of the center, which caused the storm to jog north slightly, remaining just off the coast.Palm Beach County Mayor Dave Kerner said a few trees came down in residential areas in his county, but they didn’t damage homes or other structures. There were no reports of storm surge or significant flooding.“The biggest danger of the storm is it takes the community’s eye off the ball as it relates to the pandemic,” Kerner said. He said the metrics around deaths and positivity rates have shown improvement.“Now we’re refocusing our attention to COVID-19. ... We need to keep our foot on the gas pedal as a county,” Kerner said.Palm Beach County Fire Rescue Chief Administrator Reginald Duren urged residents to think of Isaias as a test for the rest of the season.“Please take the time to do an assessment of what went well for you during the storm, what were some gaps that you had and let’s start preparing for the next one,” Duren said.There was no serious damage in Broward, either, said Mayor Dale Holness. The county’s closed bridges reopened, and the Coast Guard allowed ports to reopen, he said.Isaias was good practice for what has already been a busy hurricane season, he said.Advertisement“We were fortunate to have been spared a direct hit from the storm,” Holness said. “We need to continue to be vigilant and prepared. There’s another one brewing in the Atlantic.”Isaias is expected to remain a strong tropical storm for the next two days.When the storm cleared South Florida, officials urged anyone in hard-hit areas to stay inside until damage was surveyed. That didn’t stop them.Eric Erickson and his son went out around 10:30 a.m. to take a pass at the rough surf in Delray Beach.“You better know how to paddle if you try it,” said Erickson, 56, from Moorehaven. He said he’s been surfing for 40 years, and this was particularly rough.His son Ethan, from Orlando, called the waves “gnarley.”Advertisement“We’re headed south,” he said. “Gonna try Deerfield.”At the closed Lantana beach park, a few people strolled on the little beachfront that was still visible. Waves crashed all the way up to the wall, and stairs that usually go down to the sand now led into a churning foam of sea water. Shortly before 1 p.m., police and lifeguards stationed on the beach told surfers, swimmers and those walking the boardwalk that the park was closed.Florida Power &amp; Light warned that the storm could bring widespread power outages to southeast Florida. COVID-19 precautions could slow the restoration of power, FPL said.FPL spokesman Dave Reuter said nearly 12,000 people from Florida’s Gulf coast and 20 more states worked through the night and day to restore power whenever winds were slower than 35 mph, he said.Overnight crews restored power to 6,600 in Broward County by 9 a.m. About 225 homes were without power around 4:30 p.m. in Broward County, according to FPL.In Palm Beach County, 470 homes were without power, and crews had already restored 11,760.AdvertisementThere were 517 reported homes without power in Miami-Dade, with crews restoring power to 4,140.Those who live north of Palm Beach County on Florida’s east coast should expect more outages through Monday, Reuter said. FPL officials are tracking the storm and crews are following it from south to north.Broward and Miami-Dade County never opened shelters, and Palm Beach County opened six. Almost 200 people checked in at the shelters, and they were closed by Sunday afternoon once the threat passed.As Isaias passed over Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic over the past two days, having not yet reached hurricane strength, it toppled trees, destroyed crops, knocked out power, produced widespread flooding and caused small landslides.A man died in the Dominican Republic when he was electrocuted by a fallen electrical cable.The Puerto Rico National Guard rescued at least 35 people from floodwaters, which swept away one woman who remains missing.AdvertisementThe National Hurricane Center an area of low pressure that may develop into a tropical cyclone, a rotating storm systems that could strengthen into a tropical storm or hurricane.As it happensGet updates on developing stories as they happen with our free breaking news email alerts. &gt; Located just east of the Caribbean, it has 60% chance of forming over the next five days and is projected to head northwest and then north.Another system off the African coast became Tropical Depression No. 10 Friday night but then dissipated Saturday.The next storm to get a name this season will be called Josephine.There have been four other tropical storms so far this month: , , Gonzalo and Hanna. Other named storms this year have included Arthur, Bertha, Cristobal and Dolly. , making this the sixth straight year that a named storm formed before the official start of hurricane season on June 1.So far, Hanna has been the only other hurricane of the season, striking Texas late last week as a strong Category 1 storm.AdvertisementVirtually all estimates for this predict an , due to unusually warm ocean temperatures and global climate factors that are likely to reduce the high-altitude winds that can prevent the formation of hurricanes. On July 8, Colorado State University issued a slightly more pessimistic outlook for hurricane season than its earlier forecast, upping the number of named storms from 19 to 20.David Fleshler can be reached at dfleshler@sun-sentinel.com or 954-356-4535. Advertisement

AdvertisementBy South Florida Sun-SentinelAug 03, 2020 at 11:12 pmIt was South Florida’s first hurricane threat this season, but the storm that arrived as Tropical Storm Isaias amounted to little more than that — a threat.The slow-moving storm frustrated Floridians who didn’t know what to expect or when, and it grew into a hurricane for a time, but it couldn’t keep up its strength against unfavorable conditions and ultimately slid past South Florida without causing much damage.AdvertisementMany areas in Broward and Palm Beach counties experienced tropical-force winds of at least 39 mph,...

Tropical Storm Isaias spared South Florida, but it was a good practice run in a busy hurricane season

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