Isabel Continues on Course towards East Coast

Hurricane Isabel continues to move towards the Eastern Seaboard at a leisurely 7 mph (11 kph). The storm is currently located around 700 miles (1130 kms) South-southeast of Cape Hatteras, and approximately 480 miles (770 kms) East of Nassau in the Bahamas.

The latest bulletin from the National Hurricane Service indicated that Isabel’s sustained wind speeds have lessened somewhat to around 120 mph (195 kph), and the storm has also decreased in size with hurricane force winds now extending outward from the center for 105 miles (165 kms).

Although the storm has weakened – at one point sustained winds neared 160 mph (256 kph) – it’s still a very dangerous hurricane. The NHC noted that “large ocean swells and dangerous surf conditions are already being experienced along portions of the U.S. Mid-Atlantic coastline,” as well as in the Bahamas and other Caribbean Islands.

The NHC warned concerned authorities “from the Carolinas northward to southern New England” to closely monitor Isabel’s progress. If the storm continues on its current track, it would make landfall in the Carolinas, Virginia and Maryland Wednesday night or Thursday morning.