Isaias reaches Category 3 strength ahead of Gulf landfall

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(The Center Square) – Hurricane Isaias strengthened into a Category 3 storm Friday morning and Alabama officials warned of destructive winds extending inland and coastal storm surge reaching 9 feet.

The National Hurricane Center reported maximum sustained winds of 120 mph at 7:20 a.m. CDT. The storm was moving north-northeast at 15 mph toward the northern Gulf Coast.

(Isaias is pronounced “ee-sah-EE-ahs,” with stress on the third syllable.)

In an 8 a.m. update Friday, Alabama Emergency Management Agency meteorologist Jim Stefkovich said landfall was forecast between 9 p.m. Friday and midnight somewhere between Gulf Shores and Santa Rosa Beach, Fla. The agency’s forecast called for Isaias to reach shore as a Category 2 hurricane with sustained winds around 100 mph and gusts up to 120 mph.

A hurricane warning was in effect for Mobile, Baldwin, Escambia, Conecuh and Covington counties, with a tropical storm warning farther inland. A tropical storm watch extended north toward Interstate 20.

Storm surge could reach 6 to 9 feet along coastal areas and 4 to 6 feet in Mobile Bay on Friday night into early Saturday, according to the Alabama agency.

The threat will continue inland after landfall. Sustained winds near the storm’s center could remain at 60 to 70 mph as it moves into south-central Alabama around 7 a.m. Saturday, Stefkovich said.

Those winds were forecast to decrease to around 40 mph near I-20 around 1 p.m. Saturday and 30 to 35 mph as the storm exits Alabama that evening. Higher gusts could down trees, damage property and cause power outages through Saturday afternoon.

Rainfall totals were forecast at 1 to 4 inches across much of Alabama and 4 to 6 inches in the far southern portion of the state. Some locations could receive twice those amounts, creating a flooding risk.

A flood watch was set to take effect across the state in stages, beginning Friday afternoon in southern Alabama and early Saturday morning farther north. A high wind watch begins early Saturday for northern areas.

A few tornadoes are possible in southern Alabama Friday afternoon and overnight, followed by a risk in far eastern Alabama from late Saturday morning through the afternoon.

Gov. Kay Ivey issued a Supplemental Emergency Order requiring tourists, visitors, and nonresidents to evacuate Mobile County’s Evacuation Zone 1 (including Dauphin Island and parts of Bayou La Batre) and all areas south of the Intracoastal Waterway in Baldwin County (including Orange Beach, Gulf Shores, and Gulf State Park).

In Mississippi, emergency officials said Friday that the state was not expecting a direct landfall but would still experience impacts. Hurricane and tropical storm warnings covered several southeastern counties, with heavy rainfall, gusty winds and coastal storm surge possible.

Florida officials said 27 counties were under a state of emergency, with more than 6,000 utility lineworkers and restoration personnel standing by. Approximately 5,000 Florida National Guard personnel were expected to be mobilized by Friday.

Florida also announced a partnership with Uber to provide free rides to shelters in counties covered by the emergency declaration. Residents can use the code ISAIAS26.

Alabama officials said significant wind and rain impacts should end by Sunday.