Hurricane Isaias Threatens Florida Gulf Coast: Rain, Winds

Florida's Gulf Coast residents should monitor Hurricane Isaias, which intensified into the Atlantic season's first hurricane late Wednesday. The storm's forecast landfall is near Mobile, Alabama, and Pensacola, Florida, Friday evening. However, impacts like heavy rain, gusty winds, and isolated tornadoes are expected to extend beyond the storm's center and forecast cone, potentially affecting areas east and northeast of landfall.

The National Hurricane Center upgraded a Western Gulf system to Tropical Depression Nine on Tuesday afternoon, which became Tropical Storm Isaias early Wednesday. By 11:30 p.m. Wednesday, it strengthened into a hurricane.

Forecasters anticipate peripheral rain bands from Isaias moving northward through Duval County and Northeast Florida from Friday through the weekend. These bands could bring heavy rain, gusty winds, and isolated tornadoes to communities from the beaches inland to areas like Riverside and Springfield.

The storm's track is expected to turn sharply northward by Thursday night and Friday, accelerating as atmospheric patterns over Florida and Southeast Texas pull it.

Warnings and watches are in effect for various Gulf Coast areas. A Storm Surge Warning extends from the Mississippi River mouth to the Steinhatchee River in Florida. A Hurricane Warning is posted from Ocean Springs, Mississippi, to the Bay/Gulf County Line in Florida. A Tropical Storm Warning is in place from the Jefferson/Plaquemines Parish Line in Louisiana to west of Ocean Springs, Mississippi, and from the Bay/Gulf County Line east to the Aucilla River in Florida. A Storm Surge Watch is in effect from the Steinhatchee River to Yankeetown, Florida.