Hurricane center tracks new Atlantic system while Isaias brings flood threat to Appalachians
Published in News & Features
The National Hurricane Center on Sunday began tracking a system in the distant Atlantic with a chance to develop into the season’s next tropical depression or storm.
As of the NHC’s 8 a.m. tropical outlook, the elongated area of low pressure was centered a few hundred miles southwest of the Cape Verde Islands with a large but disorganized area of showers and thunderstoms extending from the islands south into the eastern tropical Atlantic.
“Environmental conditions appear only marginally conducive for some development of this system over the next day or two before upper-level winds become too strong for development by midweek,” forecasters said. “Regardless of development, heavy rainfall will be possible during the next few days over portions of the Cape Verde Islands as the system moves slowly northward to north-northwestward.”
The NHC gave it a 20% chance to develop in the next two to seven days.
The next name in the Atlantic hurricane season list is Josephine.
The 2026 season has seen nine named storms, but only one hurricane with the formation in the last week of Hurricane Isaias, which made landfall on the Florida Panhandle late Friday and has since moved into the midwest.
At least four deaths have been blamed on the system that struck near Destin at 9:30 p.m. Sunday with 105 mph sustained winds as a Category 2 hurricane.
As of 11 a.m. Sunday, what is now Post-Tropical Cyclone Isaias was centered about 180 miles northeast of Nashville with 25 mph winds moving east-northeast at 22 mph.
Flood watches remained in effect for portions of the central and southern Appalachians.
Another 1-3 inches is possible Sunday across portions of the Central Appalachians into the mid-Atlantic with a threat of localized flash and urban flooding possible.
In western North Carolina, rainfall has dropped back but rapid river rises and flooding remain possible on Sunday.
A couple of tornadoes are still possible Sunday across the Piedmont and Coastal Plain of Virginia and North Carolina.
Swells from the storm continue to hit the Gulf and Southeast coasts bringing life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.
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