Tropical storm Isaac, the 9th storm of the 2012 Hurricane Season, is growing stronger and threatening the Caribbean, Cuba, Florida and even cruise ships.
Isaac was 140 miles east of the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe as of late Wednesday morning and moving west at 21 mph. The storm isn't a hurricane as it only has maximum sustained winds of 45 mph, but it is expected to be a hurricane as it heads into the northeast Caribbean by Thursday, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center. A tropical storm becomes a hurricane when it reaches winds of 74mph.
Several watches and warnings have been issued for the northeastern Caribbean islands as Isaac can cause heavy rainfall, flooding and mudslides. There is also a hurricane watch for Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the southern Dominican Republic.
Dominica's Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit is warning people and telling them to stay home.
"I want us all to be safe," he said, as quoted by The Associated Press. "I don't want lives to be lost. I have listened to the advice of the experts and so I am asking all to stay indoors."
Isaac is expected to pass near Hispaniola on Friday and continue heading in the direction of eastern Cuba throughout the weekend. By Monday, the storm is expected to reach Florida, which could threaten the GOP convention in Tampa next week.
Cruise lines are watching the storm closely and could change some ship itineraries depending on where Isaac goes. At this time, no cruise lines have made changes.
Royal Caribbean released a statement saying : "At this time Royal Caribbean has not altered the itineraries of any ship that departs this Thursday, Friday, Saturday or Sunday. However, we encourage guests sailing on Majesty, Monarch, Freedom, Oasis and Allure of the Seas to monitor this website for any additional updates: http://bit.ly/9T4wre"
Norwegian Cruise Line also released a statement: "At Norwegian Cruise Line, the safety and security of our guests and crew is of the utmost importance. Therefore, the company is closely monitoring the path of Tropical Storm Isaac. Currently, all of our ships are sailing as scheduled."
It is rare for a cruise to be cancelled due to a storm, but some cruise ships may have to make an unplanned stop at a different port or have an unscheduled sea day to avoid a storm.
