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Hurricane Isaias rapidly strengthened as it barreled toward the Gulf Coast Thursday morning — with the life-threatening storm possibly reaching Category 3 strength before making landfall late Friday, meteorologists said.
Southern states are bracing for up to 10 inches of rain along with powerful winds from Louisiana to Florida — prompting evacuation orders for some coastal cities, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Isaias was swirling roughly 380 miles southwest of the mouth of the Mississippi River, as of Thursday morning, and moving to the east-northeast at about 10 mph, forecasters said.
Its maximum sustained winds were 80 mph — making it a Category 1 storm.
Forecasters warned of “dangerous, life-threatening” conditions along parts of the northern Gulf Coast beginning Friday and into the weekend.
The record-setting, El Nino-driven storm may intensify to up to 110 mph, nearing Category 3 strength, as it heads towards the US coast, meteorologists said. Isaias is then expected to dramatically weaken before making landfall.
“Isaias is expected to remain a dangerous hurricane through landfall, and gusty winds are expected well inland after landfall …” the hurricane center said Thursday morning.
Coastal cities in the Florida panhandle, including Fort Walton Beach, Destin and Niceville, along with parts of southern Alabama, have been placed under voluntary evacuation so far.
Isaias is the first hurricane of the Atlantic storm season in history to form this late, according to meteorologists.
