North Alabama – Tropical Storm Isaias is gaining strength in the Gulf, and forecasters now expect it to become a hurricane overnight. As of the 10 p.m. Wednesday update from the National Hurricane Center, Isaias had maximum sustained winds of 70 mph, a central pressure of 988 millibars, and was moving east-northeast at 9 mph. The storm is forecast to strengthen into a Category 2 hurricane by Thursday evening, with landfall expected somewhere between Mobile, Alabama, and Pensacola, Florida. The latest forecast track also shifted slightly to the northwest, bringing northwest Alabama into the path of the weakening storm late Saturday.
Rapid Strengthening Expected
Isaias is expected to become a hurricane overnight, with winds increasing to over 100 mph during the next 48 hours. By Thursday at 6 p.m., the forecast calls for the storm to be a Category 2 hurricane with winds near 100 mph as it moves across the central Gulf.
By Friday at 7 p.m., Isaias is forecast to be near the northern Gulf Coast with winds around 105 mph, keeping it at Category 2 strength as it approaches landfall.
Landfall Between Mobile and Pensacola
The current forecast places landfall between Mobile, Alabama, and Pensacola, Florida. That area includes Mobile Bay, Dauphin Island, Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, Perdido Key, and Pensacola Beach.
Residents in coastal Alabama and the western Florida Panhandle should be preparing now for hurricane-force winds, dangerous storm surge, heavy rain, and flooding. Areas just east of where the center makes landfall typically see the strongest winds and highest storm surge.
Weakening Quickly After Landfall
Once Isaias moves inland, it is expected to weaken quickly. By Saturday at 7 a.m., the storm is forecast to be over southern Mississippi and Alabama with winds near 60 mph, making it a tropical storm again…