Hurricane Isaias strengthens to Category 2 with evacuations underway in the Gulf states
By Dakota Smith, Eduardo Cuevas, Elise Hammond
(CNN) – Hurricane hunters found 100 mph winds within Hurricane Isaias, making the storm a Category 2, according to the National Hurricane Center’s 4 p.m. CT update on Thursday.
The agency noted “additional strengthening is expected” through early Friday. The official forecast calls for Isaias to peak with winds of 110 mph before slightly weakening as it approaches the Gulf Coast.
Hurricane Isaias has started to move quicker and make its turn north towards the coast. Isaias is about 325 miles south of Louisiana, moving northeast at 12 mph, according to the hurricane center.
Isaias could near Category 3 strength, but will weaken some before making landfall as a hurricane by early Saturday morning. Locations on the coast could see up to 7 feet of storm surge and up to 10 inches of rain, with short-lived tornadoes popping up with little notice.
States of emergency have been issued in parts of Alabama and Florida, and mandatory evacuation orders have been issued in two counties in the Florida panhandle.
Some Florida airports are scheduled to close ahead of the storm. Amtrak services in parts of Louisiana and Alabama are also disrupted.
“I think people should take it seriously. Understand that you are going to have impacts, there’s no question. There will be impacts all across the Florida Panhandle,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said at a news conference this afternoon.
More than 6,000 utility linemen and restoration personnel are ready to respond to outages during the storm. “If you’re in the Panhandle, assume you are going to lose power. Prepare that you are going to lose power,” DeSantis said.
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey has issued mandatory evacuations for tourists and visitors along much of Alabama’s Gulf Coast.
“We want to make sure y’all are safe and can enjoy Alabama in better weather,” the governor said in a video update Thursday afternoon.
The-CNN-Wire
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