Hurricane Isaias is in the Gulf of Mexico and forecast to come ashore on the northern Gulf Coast late Friday or early Saturday. As of the National Hurricane Center's advisory on Thursday morning, October 8, Lake County is east of the forecast cone. That is good news, but it is not the same as a quiet weekend. A hurricane this size throws rain bands and gusty squalls hundreds of miles from its center, and those bands are what put water through roofs in Eustis, Leesburg, Mount Dora, Tavares and Clermont.
In this guide
This post covers where Isaias is headed, what Central Florida can expect, the short list of things worth doing before the weather turns, and what to do if your roof leaks during the storm. If you already have a leak or missing shingles, skip to the bottom or go straight to our emergency roof tarp prices.
Where Hurricane Isaias is headed
<figure style='margin:1.5em 0'><img src='/images/storm/isaias-nhc-cone-advisory-7.webp' alt='National Hurricane Center forecast cone for Hurricane Isaias, advisory 7, showing the track toward the Mississippi, Alabama and Florida Panhandle coast, well west of Lake County' width='900' height='804' loading='lazy' style='width:100%;height:auto' /><figcaption style='font-size:14px;color:#4a4540;margin-top:8px'>NHC forecast cone, Advisory 7, Thursday October 8. Map: NOAA National Hurricane Center.</figcaption></figure>
At 8 AM Eastern on Thursday, October 8 (NHC Intermediate Advisory 7A), Isaias was a Category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds near 80 mph, about 385 miles south-southwest of the mouth of the Mississippi River and moving east-northeast at 9 mph. The Hurricane Center expects it to strengthen through early Friday and turn north, with landfall inside the warning area late Friday or early Saturday.
A Hurricane Warning runs from Ocean Springs, Mississippi to the Bay/Gulf County line in the Florida Panhandle. A Tropical Storm Warning covers the coast east of there to the Aucilla River, and a Storm Surge Watch reaches down the Big Bend to Yankeetown. Lake County is not under a watch or warning in that advisory.
Forecasts change. Check the National Hurricane Center at hurricanes.gov and the National Weather Service office in Melbourne for Lake County before you make plans, and follow any instructions from Lake County Emergency Management.
What Central Florida can expect
Being east of the track puts us on the side of the storm that tends to carry the outer rain bands. For Lake County that most likely means:
- Bands of heavy rain that come and go, with dry stretches in between. NOAA's Weather Prediction Center 7-day rainfall forecast issued Thursday morning shows roughly 1 to 2 inches for our area through next Thursday. That is a forecast, not a promise, and bands can drop more in one spot than the next town over.
- Gusty winds inside the bands, strong enough to lift an already-loose shingle or drop a dead limb.
- The chance of a brief tornado, which is common in the outer bands of a landfalling Gulf hurricane. Know where you would go in your home if a warning is issued.
The roofs that leak in weather like this are usually the ones that already had a weak spot: a lifted shingle edge, a cracked pipe boot, a nail pop, flashing that pulled away from a wall. Wind-driven rain finds it.
Hurricane prep for Lake County homes: do this today
Most of this list takes an afternoon. Do the roof check from the yard and the attic. Do not climb onto the roof.
- Bring in anything that can fly. Patio furniture, grills, trash cans, potted plants.
- Clear gutters and downspouts. A clogged gutter backs water up under the roof edge.
- Look up at the roof from the yard. Lifted or missing shingles, bent flashing and debris in the valleys are worth a call now, while there is still time to fix them.
- Check the attic with a flashlight. Water stains or daylight through the deck mean water is already getting in.
- Photograph your roof and ceilings. Date-stamped pictures give you a clear before.
- Set up a leak kit. A bucket, towels, a tarp for the floor and a flashlight in one place.
- Save a licensed roofer's number before the phones get busy.
Our longer hurricane roof prep checklist goes deeper on every item if you have more time.
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What to do if your roof leaks during a hurricane
A roof leak during a hurricane or tropical storm is stressful, but the first hour is mostly about keeping water off what matters. Everything here can be done from inside the house.
- Stay safe first. If a ceiling is sagging or water is near outlets or light fixtures, shut off power to that area and keep people out of the room.
- Catch the water. Put a bucket under the drip and towels around it. If a spot in the ceiling is bulging with water, a small hole at its lowest point lets it drain into the bucket instead of spreading across the drywall.
- Move what matters. Furniture, electronics, rugs and papers out of the wet area.
- Take photos and video. The ceiling, the wet area and, from the ground only, the roof. Note the time.
- Call a licensed roofer for an emergency roof tarp. Nobody should be on a roof while the wind is up, so tarps go on as soon as it is safe.
After a storm, out-of-area crews knock on doors across Central Florida. Before you hire anyone, check that they hold a Florida roofing or general contractor license you can look up yourself at myfloridalicense.com. Our more detailed roof leak repair guide covers how leaks are traced and fixed once the weather clears.
How our emergency roof tarping works
Pro Specialty Services tarps roofs across Lake County, including roof tarping in Eustis, Leesburg, Mount Dora, Tavares and Clermont. Here is how it goes:
- You call, we size it. Tell us what you see. We confirm the tarp size and the price by phone before we roll.
- Photos first. We photograph the damage before anything covers it, so you have a clear record.
- Over the ridge. The tarp starts above the damage and runs over the ridge so rain cannot slip under it.
- Wood battens and sandbags, never nails. The edges are rolled around wood battens and weighed down with sandbags. Nailing a tarp punches new holes in a roof that is already leaking, so we don't.
Tarping is one flat price by size, with the tarp, battens, sandbags and install included: Small $400, Medium $750 (up to 16 x 20 ft) and Large $1,200 (up to 30 x 50 ft). If you book the permanent repair or replacement with us, the full tarp price comes off that bill. The details are on our emergency roof tarping page.
A tarp buys time. Once the weather clears, the damaged area needs a real roof repair, and bigger damage is handled by our storm damage restoration crew.
The short version
As of Thursday morning, Hurricane Isaias is headed for the Mississippi, Alabama and Florida Panhandle coast and Lake County is east of the cone. Expect bands of rain and gusty wind, not a direct hit, and keep watching the Hurricane Center in case that changes. Clear the gutters, bring in what can fly, look at your roof from the yard today, and keep a bucket handy. If water starts coming through the ceiling, follow the steps above and call Pro Specialty Services at (352) 272-8854 to get on the tarp schedule.
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