The storm, currently packing tropical storm force winds of between 39 and 74 mph, is not projected to strengthen into a hurricane until it clears the Keys and moves into the Gulf.
A surfers swim out to sea at Manresa beach as Tropical Storm Isaac approaches Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Friday, Aug. 24, 2012. Isaac strengthened slightly as it spun toward the Dominican Republic and Haiti, but seemed unlikely to gain enough steam early Friday to strike as a hurricane. The storm's failure to gain the kind of strength in the Caribbean that forecasters initially projected made it more likely that Isaac won't become a hurricane until it enters the Gulf of Mexico, said Eric Blake, a forecaster with U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami. (AP Photo/Manuel Diaz)The most up-to-date forecast of Tropical Storm Isaac's potential track has it traveling northwest in the Gulf of Mexico after passing over Haiti, Cuba and the Florida Keys.
On Friday, officials in the Keys announced they won't be instituting an evacuation for tourists.
Tropical Storm Isaac, currently packing tropical storm force winds of between 39 and 74 mph, is not projected to strengthen into a hurricane until it clears the Keys and moves into the Gulf. That could happen Sunday.
In the Gulf, oil drilling teams are evacuating. The exodus has sent oil prices higher on the threat of a disruption in production there, Bloomberg News reports.
The storm track has Isaac making landfall in the Florida panhandle.
According to the National Weather Service's latest Tropical Storm Isaac public advisory, the storm has temporarily slowed down, but is still expected to make landfall in Haiti late Friday.
Here is a portion of that advisory:
A HURRICANE WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR... * HAITIA TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR...
* DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
* HAITI
* CUBAN PROVINCES OF CIEGO DE AVILA...SANCTI SPIRITUS...VILLA
CLARA...CAMAGUEY...LAS TUNAS...GRANMA...HOLGUIN...SANTIAGO DE
CUBA...AND GUANTANAMO
* ANDROS ISLAND
* THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS INCLUDING CAT ISLAND...THE EXUMAS...LONG
ISLAND...RUM CAY...AND SAN SALVADOR
* SOUTHEASTERN BAHAMAS INCLUDING THE ACKLINS...CROOKED ISLAND...LONG
CAY...THE INAGUAS...MAYAGUANA...AND THE RAGGED ISLANDS
* TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDSA TROPICAL STORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR...
* CUBAN PROVINCES OF MATANZAS AND CIENFUEGOS
* JAMAICA
* THE NORTHWESTERN BAHAMAS...INCLUDING THE ABACOS...BERRY ISLANDS...
BIMINI...ELEUTHERA...GRAND BAHAMA ISLAND...AND NEW PROVIDENCE.
* THE FLORIDA KEYS INCLUDING THE DRY TORTUGAS
* THE FLORIDA EAST COAST SOUTH OF JUPITER INLET
* THE FLORIDA WEST COAST SOUTH OF BONITA BEACH
* FLORIDA BAY AND LAKE OKEECHOBEE