Isaias near hurricane strength as it crawls toward Carolinas

MYRTLE BEACH, SC (AP) — Isaias is forecast to return to hurricane strength early as it approaches the Carolinas, where residents are being warned to brace for flooding rains and storm surge.

Isaias remained a tropical storm with winds of 70 mph on Monday morning, where the storm remained more than 200 miles south-southwest of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Conditions in Myrtle Beach were overcast but calm Monday morning as people strolled the shoreline.

In North Carolina, officials were wrapping up evacuations of Ocracoke Island, which took a beating from Hurricane Dorian last year.

The National Hurricane Service said Monday morning that the storm is growing stronger again as it moves toward the Carolinas with maximum sustained winds around 70 mph.