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Florida ports shutting down as Hurricane Isaias approaches (with forecast video)

Photo: NOAA

Hurricane Isaias is barreling through the Bahamas this morning, August 1, and will come close to landfall on Florida’s east coast tomorrow.

The U.S. Coast Guard has issued a condition ZULU at the Port of Miami and the northern port of Key West. This means no vessels may enter or move within these ports without permission from the captain of the port (COTP). Also, all ship-to-shore operations must stop until further notice.

As of 8 a.m. EDT today, Isaias was centered about 50 miles south of Nassau in the Bahamas. Maximum sustained winds around the eye wall were measured by Hurricane Hunters ato be 85 mph, making Isaias a Category 1 storm. Isaias will likely maintain this intensity as it closes in on Florida.

Hurricane force winds (minimum 74 mph) extend as far as 35 miles from the eye, while tropical storm force winds (39 to 73 mph) have been recorded about 175 miles from the eye.


Ahead of Hurricane Isaias, Petty Officer 2nd Class Zachary Beckham prepares a response boat in Bradenton, Florida on July 31, 2020. (Photo: U.S. Coast Guard Petty Office 1st Class Ayla Hudson)

Tropical storm conditions are likely by this afternoon or evening in the Lake Okeechobee area, as well as from just north of Ocean Reef to just south of Boca Raton, with hurricane conditions likely tonight and Sunday from Boca Raton to the Volusia/Flagler county line.

More details are available in the attached video. Look for more updates later on the FreightWaves website and social media accounts.

Click here for more FreightWaves articles by Nick Austin.


Nick Austin

Nick is a meteorologist with 20 years of forecasting and broadcasting experience. He was nominated for a Midsouth Emmy for his coverage during a 2008 western Tennessee tornado outbreak. He received his Bachelor of Science in Meteorology from Florida State University, as well as a Bachelor of Science in Management from the Georgia Tech. Nick is a member of the American Meteorological Society and National Weather Association. As a member of the weather team at WBBJ-TV in Jackson, Tennessee, Nick was nominated for a Mid-South Emmy for live coverage of a major tornado outbreak in February 2008. As part of the weather team at WRCB-TV in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Nick shared the Chattanooga Times-Free Press Best of the Best award for “Best Weather Team” eight consecutive years.