Hurricane Isaias strengthened into a Category 2 storm Thursday evening, with maximum sustained winds reaching 100 mph, the National Hurricane Center said in its 4 p.m. CT advisory. The storm was centered less than 300 miles south of the mouth of the Mississippi River, moving northeast at 13 mph.
Landfall is expected along the northern Gulf Coast between Mobile, Alabama, and Destin, Florida, late Friday or early Saturday, with storm surge of 5 to 7 feet from Ocean Springs to Indian Pass and rainfall up to 10 inches. A storm surge warning stretches from the mouth of the Mississippi River to Florida's Suwannee River. Some forecasters warn Isaias could near Category 3 strength before weakening somewhat ahead of landfall; Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said the state is preparing for a possible Category 3 impact.
Twenty-five Florida counties are under a state of emergency, the state's emergency operations center is at its highest activation level, and mandatory evacuation orders are in effect for two Panhandle counties. Officials say preparations should be finished by tonight.
Isaias is the latest-forming first hurricane of an Atlantic season in more than a century, tying a record last set in 1905, after a powerful El Niño pattern suppressed development all season. Tornadoes are also possible across the Southeast on Friday and Saturday as the storm moves inland.
