Tropical Storm Isaac is expected to make landfall on Florida close to 1:00 or 2:00 p.m. EDT on Sunday, Aug. 26, 2012, but its presence is already being felt as residents in the Keys as well as in the southern tip of the peninsula make their final preparations to brace for the storm.
Storm Facts
Isaac maintains sustained winds reaching 65 mph (100 km/h), and is expected to reach hurricane status by Sunday night or Monday evening as its winds reach 75 mph.
Sunday Forecast - Tampa, Miami
According to the National Hurricane Center, Isaac is moving northwest at 18 mph and meteorologists expect that by Sunday afternoon its winds will reach 70 mph.
Climatologists are predicting Isaac's path to brush past the Floridian Peninsula as Miami would barely fall within the storm's path while Tampa would miss it (see maps below).
Hurricane Status Category 1 on Monday over Florida
Isaac should reach category 1 levels by Monday its sustained winds speed will gradually increase from 75 mph Monday morning to 95 mph by Tuesday Morning
Hurricane Isaac Category 2
By Wednesday, the hurricane is expected to reach category 2 status as it strikes Mississippi and Alabama.
Hurricanes reach category two status when reaching sustained winds of up to 96 miles per hour.
Isaac has reportedly caused the death of six people in Haiti while three people have been reported missing in the Dominican Republic.
As it made its way through Cuba, damages were reported but it left no deaths.
Oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico were seen suspending operations during the weekend while the Republican Party in the U.S. announced it would postpone its National convention for a day later.
Maps
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