(The Center Square) – Tennessee may be more than 400 miles from the Gulf Coast, where Hurricane Isaias is expected to land on Friday night, but emergency officials say it will bring high winds and heavy rain to much of the state.
The Tennessee Emergency Management Authority said it is working with the National Weather Service in monitoring the forecast.
“A flood watch is in effect for parts of West, Middle and Southeast Tennessee from Friday night through Sunday morning,” the department said in a social media post on Friday. “Expect periods of heavy rain and gusty winds. Isolated flash flooding is possible.”
Hurricane Isaias strengthened into a Category 3 storm Friday morning with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. Tropical-storm-force winds could reach southeastern and middle Tennessee on Saturday morning, according to a map on the center’s website.
Gov. Bill Lee has not declared a state of emergency as of Friday afternoon.
Just over two years ago, Hurricane Helene blew through portions of the state, causing heavy flooding and destroying roads. The Federal Emergency Management Agency awarded Tennessee more than $106 million to help with the costs of recovering from Helene, with more than half of it, $69 million, reimbursing the state for debris removal and infrastructure repair efforts after the late September 2024 storm.
Hurricane Helene caused $314.6 million in damages to East Tennessee bridges and roads, Mark Nagi, the Tennessee Department of Transportation regional communications officer for East Tennessee, said previously.
More than $59.9 million in timber losses were assessed by the Tennessee Department of Agriculture’s Forestry Division. Most of the damage occurred on private property, the department said.
