Isaac

Isaac Picture 2
Isaac Picture 3
Isaac Picture 4
News Feeds:

NHC Gulf of Mexico Offshore Waters Forecast
Posted on Thursday April 18, 2024


000
FZNT24 KNHC 180215
OFFNT4

Offshore Waters Forecast for the Gulf of Mexico
NWS National Hurricane Center Miami, FL
1015 PM EDT Wed Apr 17 2024

Offshore Waters Forecast for the Gulf of Mexico

Seas given as significant wave height, which is the average
height of the highest 1/3 of the waves. Individual waves may be
more than twice the significant wave height.

GMZ001-181415-
Synopsis for the Gulf of Mexico
1015 PM EDT Wed Apr 17 2024

.SYNOPSIS...A weak high pressure off NE Florida will sustain
moderate to fresh SE winds basin-wide through Sun morning, except
for strong winds ENE winds pulsing off the NW Yucatan peninsula
and south-central Gulf at night. A cold front is forecast to move
into the NW Gulf Sun afternoon, reach from Tampa Bay to 25N90W to
SW to 22N95W Mon morning and exit the basin Mon evening. Moderate
to fresh NE winds will follow the front, briefly reaching strong
speeds over the NE Mexico offshore waters Sun evening.

$$

GMZ040-181415-
NW Gulf including Stetson Bank-
1015 PM EDT Wed Apr 17 2024

.OVERNIGHT...SE winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 4 to 6 ft.
.THU...SE winds 15 to 20 kt. Seas 3 to 5 ft.
.THU NIGHT...SE winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 3 to 5 ft.
.FRI...S of 27N, SE winds 15 to 20 kt, shifting to E to SE 10 kt
early in the evening. N of 27N, E to SE winds 10 kt. Seas 3 to
5 ft.
.FRI NIGHT...SE winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 3 to 5 ft.
.SAT...E to SE winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 3 to 5 ft.
.SAT NIGHT...SE winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 3 to 5 ft.
.SUN...S of 27N, E to SE winds 10 kt, shifting to N to NE early
in the evening. N of 27N, variable winds less than 5 kt, becoming
N to NE 15 to 20 kt early in the evening. Seas 2 to 4 ft.
.SUN NIGHT...NE winds 20 to 25 kt. Seas 5 to 7 ft.
.MON...NE winds 15 kt. Seas 4 to 6 ft.
.MON NIGHT...E winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 3 to 5 ft.

$$

GMZ041-181415-
SW Louisiana Offshore Waters including Flower Garden Bank Marine
Sanctuary-
1015 PM EDT Wed Apr 17 2024

.OVERNIGHT...SE winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 4 to 6 ft.
.THU...SE winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 3 to 5 ft.
.THU NIGHT...SE winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 3 to 5 ft.
.FRI...SE winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 3 to 5 ft.
.FRI NIGHT...SE winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 2 to 4 ft.
.SAT...SE winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 2 to 4 ft.
.SAT NIGHT...SE winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 2 to 4 ft.
.SUN...W of 92W, N to NE winds 15 to 20 kt early in the evening.
Winds SE 10 kt in the late morning and early afternoon. E of 92W,
SW winds early in the evening. Seas 2 to 4 ft.
.SUN NIGHT...NE winds 15 to 20 kt. Seas 5 to 7 ft.
.MON...NE winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 4 to 6 ft.
.MON NIGHT...E winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 3 to 5 ft.

$$

GMZ056-181415-
N Central Gulf Offshore Waters-
1015 PM EDT Wed Apr 17 2024

.OVERNIGHT...SE winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 3 to 5 ft.
.THU...SE winds 10 kt. Seas 2 to 4 ft.
.THU NIGHT...SE winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 2 to 4 ft.
.FRI...SE winds 10 kt. Seas 2 to 4 ft.
.FRI NIGHT...SE winds 10 kt. Seas 3 ft or less.
.SAT...SE winds 10 kt. Seas 3 ft or less.
.SAT NIGHT...SE winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 3 ft or less.
.SUN...S winds 10 kt. Seas 2 to 4 ft.
.SUN NIGHT...NW winds 10 to 15 kt, shifting to N to NE early in
the morning. Seas 3 to 5 ft.
.MON...N to NE winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 3 to 5 ft.
.MON NIGHT...NE winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 3 to 5 ft.

$$

GMZ057-181415-
NE Gulf N of 26N E of 87W-
1015 PM EDT Wed Apr 17 2024

.OVERNIGHT...W of 85W, E to SE winds 10 to 15 kt. E of 85W,
variable winds less than 5 kt, becoming E to SE 10 to 15 kt early
in the morning. Seas 3 to 5 ft.
.THU...E to SE winds 10 kt. Seas 2 to 4 ft.
.THU NIGHT...W of 85W, SE winds 10 kt. E of 85W, variable winds
less than 5 kt, becoming NE to E 10 kt early in the morning. Seas
2 to 4 ft.
.FRI...W of 85W, SE winds 10 kt. E of 85W, E to SE winds 10 kt in
the late morning and early afternoon, becoming variable less than
5 kt. Seas 3 ft or less.
.FRI NIGHT...W of 85W, SE to S winds 10 kt. E of 85W, variable
winds less than 5 kt, becoming E to SE 10 kt early in the
morning. Seas 3 ft or less.
.SAT...SE winds 10 kt. Seas 3 ft or less.
.SAT NIGHT...Variable winds less than 5 kt, becoming SE to S
10 kt early in the morning. Seas 3 ft or less.
.SUN...SE to S winds 10 kt. Seas 2 to 4 ft.
.SUN NIGHT...SW winds 10 kt, shifting to W to NW early in the
morning. Seas 2 to 4 ft.
.MON...NW to N winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 2 to 4 ft.
.MON NIGHT...N to NE winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 2 to 4 ft.

$$

GMZ058-181415-
W Central Gulf from 22N to 26N W of 94W-
1015 PM EDT Wed Apr 17 2024

.OVERNIGHT...E to SE winds 15 to 20 kt. Seas 4 to 6 ft.
.THU...E to SE winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 3 to 5 ft.
.THU NIGHT...E to SE winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 3 to 5 ft.
.FRI...E to SE winds 15 to 20 kt. Seas 3 to 5 ft.
.FRI NIGHT...E to SE winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 3 to 5 ft.
.SAT...SE winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 3 to 5 ft.
.SAT NIGHT...E to SE winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 3 to 5 ft.
.SUN...NE to E winds 10 kt. Seas 2 to 4 ft.
.SUN NIGHT...N to NE winds 15 to 20 kt. Seas 5 to 7 ft.
.MON...NE winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 5 to 7 ft in NE to E swell.
.MON NIGHT...NE to E winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 4 to 6 ft.

$$

GMZ045-181415-
W Central Gulf from 22N to 26N between 91W and 94W-
1015 PM EDT Wed Apr 17 2024

.OVERNIGHT...E to SE winds 15 to 20 kt. Seas 4 to 6 ft.
.THU...E to SE winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 4 to 6 ft.
.THU NIGHT...E winds 15 to 20 kt S of 24N, and E to SE 10 to
15 kt N of 24N. Seas 4 to 6 ft.
.FRI...E to SE winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 4 to 6 ft.
.FRI NIGHT...E winds 15 to 20 kt. Seas 4 to 6 ft.
.SAT...SE winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 4 to 6 ft.
.SAT NIGHT...E to SE winds 15 to 20 kt. Seas 3 to 5 ft.
.SUN...SE winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 4 to 6 ft.
.SUN NIGHT...NE winds 10 kt, increasing to 15 to 20 kt early in
the morning. Seas 4 to 6 ft.
.MON...NE to E winds 10 to 15 kt S of 24N, and NE to E 15 to
20 kt N of 24N. Seas 4 to 6 ft.
.MON NIGHT...NE to E winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 3 to 5 ft.

$$

GMZ046-181415-
Central Gulf from 22N to 26N between 87W and 91W-
1015 PM EDT Wed Apr 17 2024

.OVERNIGHT...E to SE winds 15 to 20 kt. Seas 4 to 6 ft.
.THU...E to SE winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 4 to 6 ft.
.THU NIGHT...E to SE winds 15 to 20 kt. Seas 5 to 7 ft.
.FRI...E to SE winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 3 to 5 ft.
.FRI NIGHT...E to SE winds 15 to 20 kt. Seas 4 to 6 ft.
.SAT...SE winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 3 to 5 ft.
.SAT NIGHT...E to SE winds 15 to 20 kt. Seas 5 to 7 ft S of 24N,
and 2 to 4 ft N of 24N.
.SUN...SE winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 4 to 6 ft.
.SUN NIGHT...E to SE winds 15 to 20 kt S of 24N, and E 10 kt N of
24N. Seas 3 to 5 ft.
.MON...E winds 10 kt. Seas 3 to 5 ft.
.MON NIGHT...NE to E winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 3 to 5 ft.

$$

GMZ047-181415-
SE Gulf from 22N to 26N E of 87W including Straits of Florida-
1015 PM EDT Wed Apr 17 2024

.OVERNIGHT...E winds 15 to 20 kt. Seas 5 to 7 ft.
.THU...E winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 3 to 5 ft.
.THU NIGHT...E winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 3 to 5 ft.
.FRI...E winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 2 to 4 ft.
.FRI NIGHT...E winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 3 to 5 ft.
.SAT...E to SE winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 2 to 4 ft.
.SAT NIGHT...E to SE winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 2 to 4 ft.
.SUN...SE winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 2 to 4 ft.
.SUN NIGHT...S of 24N, E to SE winds 10 to 15 kt. N of 24N, SE to
S winds 10 kt in the late evening and early morning, becoming
variable less than 5 kt. Seas 2 to 4 ft.
.MON...E winds 10 kt S of 24N, and variable less than 5 kt N of
24N. Seas 3 ft or less.
.MON NIGHT...NE winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 2 to 4 ft.

$$

GMZ048-181415-
SW Gulf S of 22N W of 94W-
1015 PM EDT Wed Apr 17 2024

.OVERNIGHT...E winds 15 to 20 kt. Seas 4 to 6 ft.
.THU...S of 21N W of 95W, variable winds less than 5 kt, becoming
NE to E 10 kt early in the evening. Elsewhere, E winds 10 to
15 kt. Seas 4 to 6 ft.
.THU NIGHT...E winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 3 to 5 ft.
.FRI...E winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 3 to 5 ft.
.FRI NIGHT...E winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 2 to 4 ft.
.SAT...E to SE winds 10 kt. Seas 3 to 5 ft.
.SAT NIGHT...E to SE winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 3 to 5 ft.
.SUN...SE winds 10 kt, shifting to NE early in the evening. Seas
2 to 4 ft.
.SUN NIGHT...N winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 3 to 5 ft.
.MON...N winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 4 to 6 ft.
.MON NIGHT...S of 21N W of 95W, N winds 10 kt in the late evening
and early morning, becoming variable less than 5 kt. Elsewhere,
NE winds 10 kt. Seas 3 to 5 ft.

$$

GMZ049-181415-
Central Bay of Campeche-
1015 PM EDT Wed Apr 17 2024

.OVERNIGHT...E winds 15 to 20 kt. Seas 4 to 6 ft.
.THU...E winds 15 to 20 kt. Seas 4 to 6 ft.
.THU NIGHT...E winds 15 to 20 kt. Seas 4 to 6 ft.
.FRI...E winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 4 to 6 ft.
.FRI NIGHT...E winds 15 to 20 kt. Seas 3 to 5 ft.
.SAT...E to SE winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 4 to 6 ft.
.SAT NIGHT...E winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 3 to 5 ft.
.SUN...SE winds 15 to 20 kt, shifting to E 10 kt early in the
evening. Seas 3 to 5 ft.
.SUN NIGHT...N to NE winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 3 to 5 ft.
.MON...N winds 10 kt. Seas 2 to 4 ft.
.MON NIGHT...S of 20N, NW to N winds 10 to 15 kt in the late
evening and early morning, becoming variable less than 5 kt. N of
20N, NE winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 2 to 4 ft.

$$

GMZ050-181415-
E Bay of Campeche including Campeche Bank-
1015 PM EDT Wed Apr 17 2024

.OVERNIGHT...E winds 15 to 20 kt. Seas 4 to 6 ft.
.THU...E to SE winds 10 to 15 kt, shifting to N to NE 15 to 20 kt
early in the evening. Seas 4 to 6 ft.
.THU NIGHT...E winds 20 to 25 kt. Seas 5 to 7 ft.
.FRI...E to SE winds 10 to 15 kt, shifting to N to NE 15 to 20 kt
early in the evening. Seas 4 to 6 ft.
.FRI NIGHT...E winds 20 to 25 kt. Seas 4 to 6 ft.
.SAT...W of 90W, SE winds 10 to 15 kt, shifting to NE early in
the evening. E of 90W, E winds 15 to 20 kt. Seas 4 to 6 ft.
.SAT NIGHT...NE winds 15 to 20 kt, shifting to SE early in the
morning. Seas 4 to 6 ft.
.SUN...W of 90W, SE winds 15 to 20 kt, shifting to N to NE 10 kt
early in the evening. E of 90W, SE winds 10 to 15 kt, shifting to
NE to E 15 to 20 kt early in the evening. Seas 4 to 6 ft.
.SUN NIGHT...NE to E winds 15 to 20 kt. Seas 3 to 5 ft.
.MON...SE winds 10 to 15 kt, shifting to NE early in the evening.
Seas 3 ft or less.
.MON NIGHT...NE to E winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 2 to 4 ft.

$$

Forecaster Delgado

CHAUVIN, La. (AP) — Isaac became a hurricane August 28, 2012 capable of flooding the coasts of four states with storm surge and heavy rains on its way to New Orleans, where residents hunkered down behind levees fortified after Katrina struck seven years ago this week.

Shelters were open for those who chose to stay or missed the chance to get away before the outer bands of the large storm blow ashore ahead of a forecast landfall in southeast Louisiana on Tuesday night or early Wednesday. However, with the exception of some low-lying areas, officials had not ordered mass evacuations.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said Isaac became a Category 1 hurricane Tuesday with winds of 75 mph. It could get stronger by the time it’s expected to reach the swampy coast of southeast Louisiana.

President Barack Obama said Gulf Coast residents should listen to local authorities and follow their directions as Isaac approached.

“Now is not the time to tempt fate. Now is not the time to dismiss official warnings. You need to take this seriously,” Obama said.

In Houma, a city southwest of New Orleans, people filled a municipal auditorium-turned-shelter. However, in the bayou country of Terrebonne Parish off Highway 24, storms pose a perennial dilemma for those living a hardscrabble life.

While some of the homes along Bayou Terrebonne and other nearby waterways show signs of affluence, this section of Louisiana 24 is mostly lined with trailer homes or small, often run-down houses. Staying could be dangerous, but many here who could be in harm’s way have nowhere to go and little money to get there, especially given the high price of gasoline.

Monica Boudreaux lives in a trailer on low-lying land but was talking Tuesday morning with a cousin who lived closer to the bayou. They and two friends chatted as the storm approached. Boudreaux laughed when asked what she’ll do if the storm hits.

“I’m surrounded by all family,” she said, referring to her friends as well as her cousin. “I’ll just pick up my little fat feet and run, I guess.”

The Coast Guard was searching the Gulf of Mexico near the Florida-Alabama state line Tuesday for a man who failed to return home from a water-scooter trip as Isaac was approaching the coast. The search began after the man’s wife called the Pensacola, Fla., station about 8:45 p.m. Monday, Chief Petty Officer Bobby Nash says.

Forecasters warned that Isaac was a large storm whose effects could reach out 200 miles from its center. Water may be worse than wind because the storm could push walls of water while dumping rain to flood the low-lying coast in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and the Florida Panhandle.

So far, the main damage in the United States was political: Republicans cut one day off their presidential nominating convention in Tampa in case the storm struck there, though in the end it bypassed the bayside city. Isaac is also testing elected officials along the Gulf from governors on down to show they’re prepared for an emergency response.

Isaac’s track is forecast to bring it to New Orleans seven years after Katrina hit as a much stronger storm on Aug. 29, 2005.

This time, federal officials say the updated levees around the city are equipped to handle storms stronger than Isaac. The Army Corps of Engineers was given about $14 billion to improve flood defenses, and most of the work has been completed. The levees surrounding New Orleans are designed to withstand far more than the forecast 12-foot surge. And the city’s flood control system can pump out an inch of water per hour for the first hour, and a half-inch of water each hour after that.

But with landfall expected near the Katrina anniversary, anxiety was high, especially in the Lower 9th Ward, wiped out by Katrina after floodwalls burst and let the waters rush in.

“I don’t really trust the levees,” said Robert Washington, who planned to evacuate along with his wife and five children. “I don’t want to take that chance. I saw how it looked after Katrina back here.”

He leaned over the banister of his porch railing and looked out onto empty lots where houses stood before Katrina. His neighborhood, just a few blocks away from where the floodwall protecting the Lower 9th Ward broke open, remains largely empty.

Farther away on the Alabama coast, Isaac had begun pelting the shore with intermittent downpours Tuesday morning — one moment it was dry, and the next brought rain blowing sideways in a strong breeze. Gov. Robert Bentley lifted mandatory evacuation orders for low-lying coastal areas but encouraged residents to remain vigilant nonetheless.

The boardwalk at the tourist town of Gulf Shores was virtually deserted except for John McCombs, who ventured out to see waves lapping at the seawall at the public beach.

Within moments he was drenched and running for cover as a band of rain hit the wooden walkway.

“That’s it. It’s here,” he said, scurrying back across the street.

One question haunting locals is how much oil left over from the Gulf oil spill in 2010 might wind up on the beaches because of Isaac. Experts believe large tar mats lie submerged just off the coast, but no one knows where they are or how many might be in the Gulf.

Isaac was centered about 75 miles south-southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River at midday and was moving northwest at 10 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami. It was 160 miles southeast of New Orleans.

Although Isaac’s approach on the eve of the Katrina anniversary invited comparisons, the storm is nowhere near as powerful as Katrina was when it struck. Katrina at one point reached Category 5 status with winds of more than 157 mph, and made landfall as a Category 3 storm.

Still, forecasters at the National Hurricane Center warned that Isaac, especially if it strikes at high tide, could cause storm surges of up to 12 feet along the coasts of southeast Louisiana and Mississippi and up to 6 feet as far away as the Florida Panhandle.

Rain from the storm could total up to 14 inches, with some isolated areas getting as much as 20 inches, along the coast from southeast Louisiana to the extreme western end of the Florida Panhandle.

On Tuesday morning, there were few signs on New Orleans’ famed Canal Street that a hurricane was imminent. A group of apparently intoxicated tourists asked 30-year-old Adrian Thomas to snap their photo as he scanned the headlines of The Times-Picayune in a newspaper box.

Thomas said he was waiting for his father to wire him money so he could leave for his hometown of Greenville, Miss., which is along the Mississippi River more than 200 miles from the coast. However, he said he might not make it out in time — and he was just fine with that.

“I believe it’s going to be all right,” he said. “If I have to stay here and ride it out, I’ll ride it out.”

In Mississippi, beachfront casinos were shutting down late Tuesday morning as a beach road flooded and residents hurried to shelters. Coastal residents Charlotte Timmons and Brenda Batey said they planned to stay put unless Isaac took a more menacing turn, believing it wouldn’t cause the devastation of some past storms.

Since Katrina, people have a more cautious attitude toward tropical weather, perhaps so cautious that there’s a danger of complacency setting in after near misses, Timmons said.

“It’s like crying wolf,” said Timmons, a 63-year-old retired media manager. “If they make such a big deal and start moving people out (too soon) and then it fizzles, people might not leave the next time.”

___

Burdeau reported from New Orleans. Associated Press writer Holbrook Mohr in Gulfport, Miss., Michael Kunzelman in New Orleans and Jay Reeves in Gulf Shores, Ala., contributed to this report.