Carolina Weather Group

Tropical Storm Isaias could could intensifies into a hurricane before making landfall near the state border of South Carolina and North Carolina overnight Monday into Tuesday.

James Brierton has the latest forecast track from the National Hurricane Center. Evan Fisher reports form Charleston, South Carolina, where tropical storm force winds have arrived. We'll also hear from North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper and state officials, along with officials in Horry County, South Caorlina, who both held emergency briefings Monday afternoon.

A Hurricane Warning has been issued from Georgetown, South Carolina through just north of Wilmington, South Caorlina. This includes Myrtle Beach and Horry County, South Carolina. Tropical Storm Warnings are in effect elsewhere along the Carolina coast. In addition, Storm Surge Warnings are issued along much of the Carolina coast.

Impacts from the storm include storm surge, flash flooding, and isolated tornadoes. Downed utilities and powerlines are possible, especially along the I-95 corridor, from wind gusts near hurricane force.

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Isaias is a tropical storm as it northwestward off the coast of Miami Saturday. Near hurricane-like conditions are possible along Florida's east coast Sunday with tropical storm conditions expected Monday along the South Carolina coast. The storm is forecast to make landfall near the border of South Carolina and North Carolina early Tuesday morning, where after landfall it will bring a threat of localized flooding and tropical storm-force winds upwards of 50 mph to eastern North Carolina.

Evan Fisher has your Saturday evening update from Asheville, North Carolina.

Jared Smith provides a forecast update on Hurricane Isaias, a category 1 storm near the Bahamas, which is forecast to move along the eastern coast of Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina this weekend and into Monday. Impacts will include heavy rain, gusty winds, and storm surge flooding along the Carolinas coast.

On Friday, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper declared a State of Emergency ahead of the storm. He held a briefing with state officials to discuss their preparations head of the storm.

A short time later, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster lead a briefing alongside officials from his state to discuss the storm.

Craig Fugate, the former administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) under President Barack Obama and former Florida Director for the Emergency Management Division under Governor Jeb Bush, joins the Carolina Weather Group to provide his insight into the ongoing response to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic - and to share stories from his career responding to weather and natural disasters.  Craig was the first to to use the "Waffle House Index" and provides insight into how the informal FEMA tracker came to be.  In his career, Craig coordinated the emergency response to storms such as Hurricane Charley, Hurricane Frances, Hurricane Ivan,  Hurricane Jeanne, Hurricane Dennis, Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Wilma, Hurricane Matthew, and Hurricane Sandy.  Craig provides his insight into how we can prepare for a 2020 hurricane season simultaneously occurring during the coronavirus pandemic.

Would you be able to spot a dangerous rip current?

National Weather Service Meteorologist Steven Pfaff joins the Carolina Weather Group to discuss keeping you and your family safe at the beach this summer. Steven helps us understand how to avoid rip currents, dangerous waves, coastal flooding and other hazards you may experience along the coast and at the beach. For boaters, Steven also talks about safety on the water and out at sea.

A study found the public does not interpret the Storm Prediction Center naming conventions for severe weather outlooks correctly - - - do you? 

This week on the Carolina Weather Group, we talk with Mississippi State University student Alex Forbes, whose survey consisted of over 4,000 participants across the Southeast. All but one of the five categorical tiers for the SPC's outlook were misranked by recipients. Alex's talks about where the words choosen to represent the names may be failing, and what he thinks can be done about it.

Plus the latest on what is could become "Fay" off the coast of the Carolinas. A tropical low pressure system is bringing heavy rain, localized flooding, and gusty winds to eastern North Carolina, including the Outer Banks.

A comet visiting from the most distant parts of our solar system is putting on a spectacular early morning display. Named Comet C/2020 F3 NEOWISE, the comet made its once-in-our-lifetimes close approach to the Sun on July 3, and will cross outside Earth's orbit on its way back to the outer parts of the solar system.

People wishing to catch a glimpse of the glowing comet can spot it as it swings through the inner solar system, but its nearness to the Sun creates some observing challenges.

For the next few days it will be visible about an hour before sunrise, close to the horizon in the northeastern sky in the United States. Observers might be able to see the comet's central core, or nucleus, with the naked eye in dark skies; using binoculars will give viewers a good look at the fuzzy comet and its long, streaky tail. As it speeds away from the Sun, Comet NEOWISE will begin to make its appearance in the evening sky shortly after sunset on July 11.

NASA's Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (NEOWISE) mission discovered the icy visitor on March 27, 2020, using its two infrared channels, which are sensitive to the heat signatures given off by the object as the Sun started to turn up the heat.

Friend of the show, and space expert, Tony Rice joined the Carolina Weather Group for this web extra to talk about Comet NEOWISE.

We're catching up this week with Jim Gandy. Jim spent 45 years in broadcast meteorology, including 20 years as chief meteorologist at Columbia's WLTX News19 before retiring in 2019. Jim shares memories from his career, including working in Oklahoma City and covering Hurricane Hugo in South Carolina.