As Tropical Storm Isaias neared Florida's east coast Saturday, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) urged communities to "remain vigilant and be prepared for heavy rain, strong winds and potential flooding."
The state of play: After pummeling the Bahamas and parts of Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic as a Category 1 storm Friday, Isaias was downgraded from a hurricane Saturday evening. But the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said Isaias was expected to "regain hurricane strength" overnight.
Here are the 5pm Key Messages on #Isaias. Hurricane conditions are still expected along portions of the Florida east coast on Sunday. Go to https://t.co/SiZo8ohZMN for detailed local information. The latest advisory is at https://t.co/tW4KeFW0gB pic.twitter.com/DCnawp12kC
— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) August 1, 2020
What to expect: The storm is expected to hit Florida's southeast coast late Saturday or early Sunday and before traveling north along the coast, per the NHC.
Of note: Florida authorities temporarily closed all state-supported coronavirus testing sites Thursday evening ahead of the storm's arrival.
- The state has the second-highest number of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. though daily reported infections have moved below 10,000.
- Free COVID-19 testing remains available through local County Health Departments, the Florida Division of Emergency Management said.
Editor's note: This is a developing news story. Please check back for updates.