RALEIGH, N.C. _ Tropical Storm Isaias is now expected to become a hurricane again before coming ashore late Monday and moving up the Interstate 95 corridor through North Carolina, bringing heavy wind and rain.
Forecasters say Isaias will likely make landfall somewhere between Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and Wilmington, headed north-northeastward. The National Weather Service has issued a hurricane warning for the coast from South Santee River in South Carolina to Surf City in North Carolina.
As of 11 a.m. EDT Monday, the center of Isaias was about 90 miles east southeast of Brunswick, Georgia, with top sustained winds of 70 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm was moving north at 13 mph.
The top winds from Isaias will be found on the east side of the storm near the coast, in Wilmington, Jacksonville, New Bern and Plymouth, according to the latest forecast from the National Weather Service. The weather service has issued a "storm surge warning" for parts of Pamlico and Albemarle sounds, including the Neuse and Pamlico rivers, and for the Outer Banks from Oregon Inlet to Virginia.
But the heaviest rain will fall father west, along Interstate 95, where 4 to 6 inches are likely. New Bern is expected to receive half as much rain as Raleigh, and the Outer Banks may see less than an inch, according to the weather service.
The combination of gusty winds and soaking rains will bring down trees, resulting in widespread power outages, state officials warn.
The first outer bands of rain from Isaias reached the Triangle late Monday morning, but the heaviest amounts will fall overnight. The weather service says Wake County could receive 3 to 5 inches of rain before the storm moves north into Virginia on Tuesday morning.
Much of eastern North Carolina is under a tropical storm warning, including as of 11 a.m. Wake, Franklin and Harnett counties. A warning means tropical storm-force winds are expected within 36 hours.
The weather service has issued a flash flood watch for a broader area of eastern and central North Carolina, including Chatham, Durham and Orange counties, from 2 p.m. Monday to 2 p.m. Tuesday. Rain from Isaias could flood low-lying and poorly drained areas and cause creeks and streams to rise quickly, according to the weather service.
And as that water runs off, forecasters say they expect the Neuse River to reach moderate flood levels at Clayton and Smithfield by Wednesday afternoon. The Neuse is expected to rise into Smithfield Town Commons Park and block U.S. 70 just west of the bridge, Petro said.
After passing over the Bahamas over the weekend, Isaias weakened to a tropical storm and was not expected to recover its previous strength. But with Isaias remaining off the coast of Florida and Georgia on Monday, forecasters now think some strengthening is likely.
Forecasters say sustained winds of 40 to 60 mph are likely in the Wilmington area, with gusts to 75 mph.
Two counties, Duplin and Jones, have announced plans to open storm shelters Monday afternoon, according to WITN TV in Greenville.
State officials have urged people to heed local evacuation orders but to stay with friends or relatives or in a hotel if possible. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, space in storm shelters will be limited and people will be screened for coronavirus symptoms at the door.
Gov. Roy Cooper said late Sunday that the state is ready for Isaias but urged people to keep the pandemic in mind as they help friends and neighbors.
"Our state has weathered more than our fair share of storms in recent years. We know how to plan, prepare and respond when it's over," Cooper said. "Nothing about that has changed. But this time, we'll have to do it with a mask on."
As the storm drew near and clouds darkened overhead, Wilmington moved into get-ready mode, starting familiar rituals.
Near the Cape Fear River, Mike Bledsoe Jr. led a three-man crew selling homemade sandbags to passing cars full of people nervous about flooding.
"We charge $4 a bag," Bledsoe said. "We're not trying to get rich or anything."
One man stood atop a 10-foot pile of sand, shoveling loads down a chute pulled from a concrete truck, where it fell into bags Bledsoe hung from a pair of nails.
"I'm sure there's a better way," he said. "We're just a bunch of hillbillies."
But most of Wilmington paid no mind, distracted by the pandemic and the Monday routine.
"Most times we over-prepare," Bledsoe said. "This time I worry we might not take it serious."
Meanwhile, in the Carteret County community of Otway, east of Beaufort, the crew at Downeast Marine worked through the morning pulling boats from the outdoor lot, where they might get blown around and damaged by high winds, into a three-bay garage. Lee Nelson lifted each trailer with a tractor and slid them in with surgical precision, as close as knives in a drawer.
"I'm 51 years old, and I've lived here all my life," Nelson said. "This is nothing new to me."
Isaias is not expected to be as bad as some historic storms in Carteret County, and many people took no precautions. Nelson was taking no chances; his family home was destroyed by Core Sound flooding from Hurricane Florence in 2018, and they're still living in a camper while their new home is under construction. When he finished up at the shop, he said, he planned to go move the camper to higher ground.
On the front of the shop, the crew had begun nailing plywood coverings over the windows and door. Previous hurricane names _ bad memories, all _ remained in spray paint: Irene. Florence. Dorian.
John and Mary Phillips in Beaufort were using Isaias to try out a new storm-shutter system they bought for their house after Hurricane Dorian last September. The custom system involves panels that fit over the dozens of windows on the two-story 1910 home on Marsh Street. The panels fasten to permanent bolts surrounding the openings.
So far, the couple said, they had spent more than seven hours sorting the pieces and installing them, and the exercise showed them they could speed up the process by organizing all the parts as they put them away.
"With everything else that's happened in 2020, this doesn't feel like that big a deal," Mary Phillips said as the couple rocked in chairs on the front porch.
On Friday, it appeared Isaias would move along the coast of North Carolina as a hurricane. As of midday Saturday, local officials had ordered evacuations for Hatteras and Ocracoke islands, as well as Ocean Isle Beach and Holden Beach.
By noon Sunday, ferries had evacuated 1,580 cars and trucks and 3,335 people from Ocracoke, according to the state Department of Transportation. NCDOT halted ferries on Pamlico Sound on Sunday afternoon and plans to make the last run from Ocracoke to Hatteras at 10:30 a.m. Monday.
Meanwhile, swift water rescue teams from the Triangle were deployed to the National Guard Armory in Williamston, 100 miles east of Raleigh, in case they're needed in the low-lying areas of the coastal plain.
