Hurricane Isaias: Storm upgraded to Category 3 (Live updates)

Hurricane prep
Gulf Coast Prepares For Arrival Of Hurricane Isaias Aaron Chi and Wilner Garcia place plywood over the windows of a home as they prepare for the possible arrival of Hurricane Isaias on October 08, 2026, in Pensacola, Florida. Hurricane Isaias is in the Gulf of Mexico as the season's first Atlantic hurricane, with sustained winds of 80 to 85 mph. It is projected to make landfall along the northern U.S. Gulf Coast as a category two or lower hurricane by late Friday or early Saturday. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
By Natalie Dreier, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

The National Hurricane Center says Hurricane Isaias is strengthening and is expected to make landfall late Friday or early Saturday morning.

The hurricane is the first of the Atlantic season.

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Gaining strength

Update 8:30 a.m. ET, Oct. 9: Hurricane Isaias strengthened on Friday morning and was upgraded to a Category 3 with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph.

Original report: The New York Times said Friday morning that the storm was nearing a Category 3 and showed little sign of weakening. CNN noted that the eye of the storm formed late Thursday.

[ Hurricane safety: What are hurricane categories and what do they mean?  ]

The path remains the same, with landfall expected between Gulf Shores, Alabama, and Destin, Florida.

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey ordered non-residents to evacuate several areas on Thursday in advance of the storm, The Associated Press reported.

Hours before the expected landfall, rain has already been falling in the Panhandle and southern Georgia, CNN reported. The rain will intensify and move north as Isaias gets closer to the coast.

The National Hurricane Center warned in its 4 a.m. CDT advisory that the central U.S. Gulf coast and much of the Southeast will have heavy rain with flash and urban flooding, along with river flooding. The heavy rain and flooding could impact Tennessee and North Carolina over the weekend, the AP reported.

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