Hurricane Isaias reached Category 2 strength Thursday evening and is forecast to continue intensifying as it approaches the Florida Panhandle late Friday, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Isaias is expected to make landfall near Pensacola, though the track is likely to continue shifting as it tracks north in the Gulf. Hurricane center forecasters said it’s possible the storm will weaken somewhat before landfall, but will likely remain at least a Category 1 hurricane.
Damaging hurricane force-winds are expected over portions of the Florida Panhandle, southern Alabama and southern Mississippi, where a hurricane warning is in effect. Residents in those areas are being advised to prepare for the possibility of long-duration power outages. Heavy rainfall and storm surge are possible far from the center of the hurricane, especially to the east, forecasters said. A life-threatening storm surge is expected from the Mouth of the Mississippi River to Suwannee, Florida.
Here’s the latest tracking map, including the spaghetti models, which show the paths generate by various storm forecasting models: