At 10 a.m. CDT the National Hurricane Center said Isaias had 120 mph winds and was expected to make landfall in the hurricane warning area this evening.
Hurricane Isaias was a Category 3 storm at 10 a.m. CDT on Friday, the National Hurricane Center said in Advisory 12. Maximum sustained winds were near 120 mph, and the center was near 27.7 north, 87.3 west, about 195 miles south of Pensacola.
The center was moving north-northeast near 16 mph. On that track, Isaias was expected to approach the northern Gulf Coast during the afternoon and make landfall inside the warning area this evening. The center said fluctuations are possible but that the storm is expected to be at or near major-hurricane strength at landfall.
A hurricane warning is in effect from Ocean Springs, Mississippi, to the Bay and Gulf County line in Florida. A storm-surge warning covers the mouth of the Mississippi River to the Suwannee River. The advisory said life-threatening storm surge and devastating winds are likely along the Florida Panhandle and Alabama coasts.
An earlier tropical discussion at 1215 UTC had the center farther south, near 26.4 north, 88.0 west, with 95-knot winds, and said Isaias was likely to become a major hurricane during the morning. Advisory 12 is the later classification.
This is a forecast, not a landfall report. Weakening is expected after the center moves inland, and the storm is likely to become post-tropical by late Saturday, the center said.
People Sentiments Negative
- The National Hurricane Center said life-threatening storm surge and devastating winds are likely along the Florida Panhandle and Alabama coasts.