Tropical Storm Isaac lashed South Florida with winds and heavy rain yesterday, threatening to interrupt most U.S.offshore oil production in the Gulf of Mexico and disrupting plans for the Republican National Convention in Tampa.
In the latest update from the Metrological Service, the centre of Tropical Storm Isaac was located near Latitude 25.2 degrees north and Longitude 84.2 degrees west.
This is about 290 kilometres west of Myers, Florida or 330 kilometres east southeast of the Florida Keys.
Isaac is moving towards the west northwest at 22 kilometres per hour and this general motion is expected to continue today, with a gradual decrease in forward speed.
Tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 390 kilometres from the centre.
A turn toward the northwest is expected tomorrow.
On the forecast track, the centre of Isaac will move over the eastern Gulf of Mexico today and approach the northern Gulf coast in the hurricane warning area tomorrow.
Maximum sustained winds are near 100 kilometres per hour.
Some strengthening is expected during the next 48 hours.
Isaac is expected to become a hurricane in a day or two.
A hurricane warning has been issued for the Gulf Coast from Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle, including New Orleans, which was devastated when Katrina struck the city on August 29, 2005, killing more than 1,800 people and causing billions of dollars of damage.
In Louisiana, Governor Bobby Jindal declared a state of emergency and said 15 low-lying areas outside New Orleans' newly built, 14-point-5 billion dollar flood defense system would likely be under mandatory evacuation orders today.
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