HATTERAS ISLAND, N.C. Tropical Storm Isaias was expected to regain hurricane strength on Monday as it moved up the U.S. East Coast, threatening a deadly storm surge before making landfall in North Carolina or South Carolina by Monday night.
The National Hurricane Center forecast a path that could soak major cities such as Washington, Philadelphia and New York on Tuesday.
“Hurricane conditions are expected in the Hurricane Warning area by this evening. Preparations should be rushed to completion,” the hurricane center said.
That area included Myrtle Beach, a South Carolina tourist resort, and Wilmington, a port city of more than 120,000 in North Carolina.
Storm surge warnings were issued for parts of North Carolina’s Outer Banks, a strip of barrier islands in the Atlantic Ocean with a tourism economy as fragile as its shoreline after the coronavirus outbreak forced a two-month shutdown earlier this year.
At the height of the tourist season, Hattaras Island was nearly deserted after officials ordered visitors and residents to leave over the weekend.
But with forecasts plotting the storm’s path further inland, some beachgoers ignored the warnings and enjoyed partly sunny skies and soft breezes.
“It seems like they downgraded the storm a little bit, so I’m not too worried about it,” said Mike Cardis, 48, who was fishing with his godson.
The storm’s center was about 90 miles (145 km) off Georgia at 11 a.m. EDT (1500 GMT) with winds of 70 mph (100 kph), the hurricane center said.
Tropical storm warnings were issued further north including areas near New York City, which was battered by Superstorm Sandy in 2012.
New York City’s emergency management deployed interim flood protection measures against a possible storm surge in lower Manhattan.
“We’re in a very vigilant state right now, we are not taking any chances,” Mayor Bill de Blasio told reporters.
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