Tropical Storm Isaias formed early Wednesday in the warm waters off eastern Mexico. The storm succeeded Tropical Depression Nine, which was located Tuesday afternoon about 630 miles south-west of the mouth of the Mississippi River with maximum sustained winds of 35 mph.
As of Wednesday morning, Isaias was located about 285 miles west of Progreso, Mexico, and 580 miles south-west of where the Mississippi River spills into the Gulf of Mexico in Louisiana. The storm had maximum sustained winds of 40mph and was moving east to north-east at 8mph.
Forecasters predict that Isaias will rapidly strengthen into the first hurricane of the belated Atlantic season. If it develops, it would be the latest first hurricane to form in over a century, a phenomenon that has not occurred since 1905. This eerily quiet season has been led by El Niño.
The storm is expected to strike the U.S. Gulf Coast later in the week, bringing life-threatening rain and storm surge to the southern USA. Scientists indicate a possible landfall on Saturday.