World·Hurricane warning
Update: Isaias strengthens to 100 mph as hurricane warnings cover Mississippi to the Florida Panhandle; Alabama orders coastal visitors out
Hurricane Hunters found Isaias had top winds near 100 mph at 4 p.m. CT Thursday, about 325 miles south of the mouth of the Mississippi River, and the National Hurricane Center expects more strengthening through early Friday and a landfall on the northern Gulf Coast late Friday or early Saturday. A Hurricane Warning covers Ocean Springs, Mississippi, to the Bay/Gulf County line in Florida, and a Storm Surge Warning runs from the mouth of the Mississippi River to the Suwannee River, with 5 to 7 feet of surge possible from Ocean Springs to Indian Pass and in Mobile Bay; the center forecasts 4 to 8 inches of rain, locally up to 15, across southern Alabama, the Florida Panhandle and Big Bend and southwest Georgia. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, who declared a state of emergency for 40 counties, ordered all tourists and visitors in Baldwin County south of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, including Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, and on Dauphin Island to evacuate immediately, and closed state offices in nine counties from noon Friday.
- National Hurricane CenterHurricane Isaias Advisory Number 9
- Office of the Governor of AlabamaGovernor Ivey Urges Alabamians to Prepare for Hurricane Isaias, Provides Update