Hurricane Isaias strengthened into a dangerous Category 3 storm Friday morning as it raced toward the US Gulf Coast.
The National Hurricane Center said newly received readings from an Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft showed Isaias had become a major hurricane, with maximum sustained winds reaching 120 mph.
Hurricane warnings were issued for parts of Florida, Alabama and Mississippi, where residents faced the threat of destructive winds, flooding and widespread power failures. Louisiana was placed under tropical storm and storm surge warnings.
Officials ordered mandatory evacuations in dozens of coastal counties across Alabama and Florida as the storm approached.
Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center expected Isaias to reach the US coast late Friday, likely making landfall somewhere between the Mississippi coastline and Florida’s Panhandle.
The hurricane was expected to bring a life-threatening storm surge, damaging winds, intense rainfall and a risk of tornadoes across the Southeast on Friday and Saturday.
“Preparations should be rushed to completion, as weather conditions will deteriorate rapidly today,” the National Hurricane Center warned Friday.
Isaias intensified in the Gulf on Wednesday night, setting a record as the latest first hurricane of a season since satellite monitoring began in 1960.
Hurricane Isaias intensified into a Category 3 storm while moving toward the US coast.
Hurricane warnings covered parts of Florida, Alabama and Mississippi as Isaias threatened damaging winds, flooding and widespread outages. Louisiana remained under tropical storm and storm surge warnings.
Hurricane Hunter aircraft placed Isaias’ center about 240 miles south-southwest of Pensacola, Florida, as the storm continued its steady advance toward the northern Gulf Coast.
Forecast models showed the storm passing roughly 30 miles south of Pensacola Beach at about 7 p.m. ET Friday.
Although Isaias was expected to weaken before reaching shore, forecasters predicted it would still make landfall as a Category 2 hurricane.
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Meteorologist Matt Devitt urged residents on X to finish their hurricane preparations that morning and follow any evacuation instructions without delay.
Storm surge—the wall of seawater driven inland by a hurricane’s powerful winds—was identified as one of the greatest dangers.
In the most vulnerable coastal locations between the Alabama-Florida border and Grayton Beach, Florida, water levels could rise 6 to 9 feet above normally dry ground if peak surge arrived at high tide.
Powerful waves could compound the surge, making coastal flooding deeper and more destructive.
Coastal sections of Louisiana and Mississippi, as well as Mobile Bay, were at risk of seeing 3 to 5 feet of flooding above ground level.
Residents were warned to prepare for potentially life-threatening conditions as Hurricane Isaias approached. The image shows men boarding up a Florida home.
Grocery store shelves were emptied as residents stocked up on food and other emergency supplies ahead of the hurricane.
Flood depths can vary sharply over short distances, so residents should check local forecasts rather than rely on a regional estimate.
Southern Alabama, the Florida Panhandle and Big Bend, and southwestern Georgia are forecast to receive 4 to 8 inches of rain through the weekend.
Some locations in the Panhandle and Big Bend could receive up to 15 inches, raising the risk of flooded streets, homes and rivers.
The danger will extend inland, with heavy rain spreading across much of the Southeast.
Tornadoes are also possible from late Friday afternoon into the night in coastal Alabama, the Florida Panhandle and far southwestern Georgia, with the threat spreading into more of Georgia and the Carolinas on Saturday.
Along the Gulf Coast, dangerous surf and rip currents could make entering the water life-threatening, even far from where the hurricane makes landfall.
