Hurricane Isaias strengthened overnight and is now closing in on major hurricane status, with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph and a central pressure of 963 millibars. The National Hurricane Center forecasts Isaias will reach 120 mph, a Category 3 storm, as it moves north-northeast at 15 mph over very warm Gulf waters. Landfall is expected tonight or early Saturday along the northern Gulf Coast, where a Hurricane Warning is in effect from Ocean Springs, Mississippi, to the Bay/Gulf County line in Florida.
The greatest danger with Isaias is water. Storm surge of 5 to 7 feet above ground is possible from Dauphin Island, Alabama, to Indian Pass, Florida, and rainfall of 4 to 8 inches, with isolated totals up to 15 inches, is forecast across southern Alabama, the Florida Panhandle, the Big Bend and southwest Georgia. Tornadoes are also possible as the storm’s outer bands push inland, and tropical-storm-force winds extend as far as 185 miles from the center.
Here on the Suncoast, we are well southeast of landfall, but the storm will still make its presence known. Expect a tidal increase of about a foot, rough Gulf waters and dangerous rip currents at our beaches through the weekend. If you have friends or family in the Panhandle or along the northern Gulf, reach out today and make sure they’re ready to move if local officials say so. Are you keeping an eye on this one, or does it feel too far away to matter here? Let us know in the comments.
