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(CNN) -- The forecast ferocity of Hurricane Isabel prompted Congress to consider leaving Washington early, spurred the U.S. military to deploy some of its ships and aircraft, and had residents from North Carolina to Maryland closely monitoring the latest weather reports.
"If Isabel stays close to our forecast track and if it does make landfall as a major hurricane, it has the potential for large loss of life if we don't take it seriously and prepare," National Hurricane Center Director Max Mayfield told CNN.
At 5 a.m. EDT, Isabel was about 660 miles (1,065 kilometers) south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. The storm was moving northwest at 7 mph (11 kph), a motion that was expected to continue over the next 24 hours.
Satellite imagery and reports from a hurricane hunter plane showed the storm had become less organized overnight Tuesday.
The Hurricane Center said the may issue a hurricane watch for portions of the mid-Atlantic coast later Tuesday.
The three-day forecast track shows Isabel's center striking North Carolina's Pamlico Sound -- about 45 miles north of Morehead City and 120 miles east of Raleigh -- at 2 p.m. EDT Thursday, then turning north, slightly inland of Chesapeake Bay.
Isabel's maximum sustained winds have decreased to near 115 mph (185 kph), with higher gusts, making it a solid Category 3 storm. That was slightly weaker than the system had been over the weekend, but Mayfield warned that the storm was still "very dangerous."
"I would expect to see extensive damage to a pretty large section of the country" if the hurricane sticks to the forecast track, Mayfield told CNN. "It's been a long time since we've had a hurricane on this track."
As the hurricane lumbers closer to shore, the American Red Cross is warning that its Disaster Relief Fund is empty. The relief organization says coastal residents can still depend on it to provide food, clothing, shelter and medication replacement. But unless donations start pouring in, the Red Cross won't be able to provide financial assistance to hurricane victims. (Full story)
With his state possibly in the bull's-eye for Isabel, Virginia Gov. Mark Warner declared a state of emergency Monday, warning of the potential for significant coastal and inland flooding, damaging winds and tornadoes throughout the state.
"If Isabel stays close to our forecast track and if it does make landfall as a major hurricane, it has the potential for large loss of life if we don't take it seriously and prepare," National Hurricane Center Director Max Mayfield told CNN.
At 5 a.m. EDT, Isabel was about 660 miles (1,065 kilometers) south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. The storm was moving northwest at 7 mph (11 kph), a motion that was expected to continue over the next 24 hours.
Satellite imagery and reports from a hurricane hunter plane showed the storm had become less organized overnight Tuesday.
The Hurricane Center said the may issue a hurricane watch for portions of the mid-Atlantic coast later Tuesday.
The three-day forecast track shows Isabel's center striking North Carolina's Pamlico Sound -- about 45 miles north of Morehead City and 120 miles east of Raleigh -- at 2 p.m. EDT Thursday, then turning north, slightly inland of Chesapeake Bay.
Isabel's maximum sustained winds have decreased to near 115 mph (185 kph), with higher gusts, making it a solid Category 3 storm. That was slightly weaker than the system had been over the weekend, but Mayfield warned that the storm was still "very dangerous."
"I would expect to see extensive damage to a pretty large section of the country" if the hurricane sticks to the forecast track, Mayfield told CNN. "It's been a long time since we've had a hurricane on this track."
As the hurricane lumbers closer to shore, the American Red Cross is warning that its Disaster Relief Fund is empty. The relief organization says coastal residents can still depend on it to provide food, clothing, shelter and medication replacement. But unless donations start pouring in, the Red Cross won't be able to provide financial assistance to hurricane victims. (Full story)
With his state possibly in the bull's-eye for Isabel, Virginia Gov. Mark Warner declared a state of emergency Monday, warning of the potential for significant coastal and inland flooding, damaging winds and tornadoes throughout the state.
