Isaac threatens Hispaniola with heavy rain

Tropical Storm Isaac is a threat to deliver heavy rains and flooding to Hispaniola Friday, forecasters in Miami said. In its 5 p.m. EDT advisory, the National Hurricane Center said the storm, with sustained top winds of 66 mph, was 100 miles south-southwest of Port au Prince, Haiti, and 300 miles southeast of Guantanamo, Cuba, as it traveled west-northwest at 16 mph toward the coast of Hispaniola, the island shared by the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Accuweather.com meteorologist Dan Kottlowski said given the storm's current path, it was more likely to track into the Gulf of Mexico than to hit the eastern side of Florida. There were concerns the storm could disrupt the Republican National Convention, which was scheduled to get under way Monday. Isaac is currently a strengthening tropical storm in the Caribbean. While some weakening will take place over Cuba, the door will open for rapid intensification once Isaac enters the Gulf of Mexico. Isaac could quickly strengthen into a category 2, or possibility a category 3, hurricane prior to its final landfall, Accuweather.com said, strengthening as it moves into the gulf. A tropical storm warning and a hurricane watch were in effect for Haiti. Tropical storm warnings also were posted for the Dominican Republic, parts of Cuba, the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands. Tropical storm watches also were in effect for parts of Cuba and Jamaica. Isaac was forecast to follow its current motion before changing to a west-northwest motion at a slightly lower forward speed through Saturday. On its forecast track, it is expected to strengthen and to be at or near Hispaniola Friday before moving near or over southeastern Cuba Saturday. Tropical storm-force winds extended outward from Isaac's center 185 miles. The storm could generate rainfall accumulations of 8-to-12 inches over Hispaniola, with as much as 20 inches in some places -- possibly causing life-threatening flash floods and mud slides. A storm surge is expected to raise water levels as much as 2-to-4 feet above normal tide levels and the surge will be accompanied by dangerous waves in some areas. The Federal Emergency Management Agency in Washington said it was monitoring Isaac and -- along with its federal partners through its Regional Headquarters in Atlanta and its Caribbean Area Office -- was in "close coordination with Puerto Rico Emergency Management Agency, Virgin Islands Territorial Emergency Management Agency and the Florida Division of Emergency Management." FEMA said it has "deployed Incident Management Assistance Teams to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands to coordinate with local officials and to support emergency managers should additional support be requested, or needed." "Additionally, FEMA has liaisons in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands emergency operations centers, to further strengthen coordination," the agency said in a statement. "At this time, it is still too early to know whether the storm could pose an immediate threat to the U.S. Coast," the statement said. "History shows that storm tracks can change quickly and unexpectedly, so FEMA encourages coastal residents to monitor weather conditions, follow the direction of local officials, and visit Ready.gov to learn about a few simple steps they can take now to be prepared."