FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. _ Tropical Storm Isaac's wind speeds have slowed to 40 mph as of Thursday afternoon, and the National Hurricane Center predicts that the storm will gradually weaken as it heads through the Eastern Caribbean in the coming hours.
All storm warnings and watches for Isaac were canceled in the hurricane center's 5 p.m. EDT update.
Storms that head through the Caribbean at this time of year have the potential to be steered north toward the United States.
But for Isaac, conditions in the Caribbean Sea don't seem to be there to promote longevity. Wind shear, which refers to fluctuations in wind strength in the atmosphere, something that tears storms apart, is present in Isaac's path.
Isaac is forecast to move across the eastern and central Caribbean Sea through Saturday, the hurricane center said.
As of Thursday at 5 p.m., Isaac was about 220 miles south of St. Croix.
"This high shear is forecast to remain for the next day or two, and it is possible that Isaac will degrade into a tropical wave during that time, although the area of tropical-storm-force winds will likely not go away for a while," said a forecast discussion by the National Hurricane Center.
"In a couple of days, while the wind shear could decrease over the east-central Caribbean Sea, there might not be much of a system left to take advantage of the more conducive conditions."
