Hurricane Isaias now a Cat 3, expected to make landfall late Friday on Gulf Coast

Per the 10 a.m. CT National Hurricane Center update, Hurricane Isaias is now 195 miles south of Pensacola and continues to move north-northeast at 16 miles per hour with maximum sustained wind speeds of 120 miles per hour. There are no other new changes since the previous update at 7:20 a.m. CT. ___ Hurricane Isaias continues to strengthen as it advances toward the U.S. Gulf Coast, with the National Hurricane Center has upgraded the storm to a Category 3. As of 7:20 a.m. CT Friday, Isaias was still about 170 miles south-southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River, but was moving north-northeast at 15 miles per hour and is poised to make landfall near the Florida-Alabama border either Friday night or early Saturday morning. Its maximum sustained wind speeds are 120 miles per hour. The storm’s projected path is expected to take it through Alabama and into Tennessee and Kentucky, where it will weaken rapidly. Rain has already begun falling in coastal communities from Florida to Mississippi, where residents have been preparing for dangerous winds, storm surge and other hazardous conditions. A hurricane warning remains in effect from Ocean Springs, Mississippi, to the Bay/Gulf County Line in Florida. The NHC has also issued a storm surge warning ranging from the mouth of the Mississippi River to the Suwannee River. Florida is projected to experience the worst flooding, with a section of coast from the Alabama state line to Grayton Beach seeing the potential for up to 9 feet of storm surge. Isaias is the first hurricane in what has been an unusual and historically quiet Atlantic hurricane season. Officials in Pensacola and Mobile, the two major cities most directly affected, have opened shelters and encouraged evacuations for some residents. So far, the Governors of Alabama, Florida and Georgia have also declared states of emergency. The post Hurricane Isaias now a Cat 3, expected to make landfall late Friday on Gulf Coast appeared first on Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government..