Tropical Storm Isaac swept across Haiti's southern peninsula early today, dousing a capital city prone to flooding and areas of the poor nation still trying to recover from the 2010 earthquake. The storm was heading toward eastern Cuba with sustained winds of 60mph and is expected to become a hurricane tomorrow, though its current path suggests it will avoid a direct hit on Tampa as the Republican convention starts Monday.
Forecasters said the storm was likely to march up the Gulf of Mexico, offshore of Florida's west coast, as a hurricane on Monday. Tampa was within the storm's possible strike zone, but the most likely course would carry it toward landfall on the Florida Panhandle late Tuesday or early Wednesday. The National Hurricane Center in Miami said a hurricane warning is in effect for the Florida Keys and for the west coast of Florida from Bonita Beach south to Florida Bay. (More Tropical Storm Isaac stories.)