Hurricane Isaias strengthens into Category 3 storm with US in its sights

SaveSharefacebookxwhatsapp-strokecopylinkA satellite handout image on Friday shows Hurricane Isaias on track toward the US Gulf Coast [AFP]By Al Jazeera Staff and APPublished On 9 Oct 20269 Oct 2026Hurricane Isaias has strengthened into a major Category 3 storm as the Gulf Coast of the United States prepares for potentially “life-threatening” conditions.The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said on Friday that Isaias was packing winds in excess of 193kph (120mph) and was expected to continue strengthening over the course of the day. A Category 3 storm, considered a major hurricane by the NHC, is capable of causing devastating damage.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3El Nino reaches super status: Where will it bring rain, drought and heat?list 2 of 3Scientists warn super El Nino could cause 450,000 deaths: Should we worry?list 3 of 3Hurricane Isaias charges towards the US Gulf Coast with dangerous windsend of listIsaias, the first hurricane of the Atlantic season, is expected to make landfall in the US later on Friday or early Saturday between Mobile Bay on the Alabama coast and Choctawhatchee Bay in Florida, the center said.When it comes ashore, the storm is forecast to weaken quickly as it moves inland into the southern US. But the NHC urged local governments to quickly prepare for the dangerous conditions that Isaias could bring.“Preparations should be rushed to completion as the weather will go downhill quickly today”, forecasters said. “While the storm is not expected to make landfall at peak intensity, it is likely that Isaias will still be a significant hurricane when it reaches the coast”.Storm surge as high as 2.7 metres (9 feet) could impact an area extending from the Alabama-Florida border to Grayton Beach, Florida, creating “dangerous” conditions for residents who live along the Gulf shoreline. Isaias is projected to produce 10.1 to 20.3cm of rainfall (4 to 8 inches) across the coast, with possible localised totals of up to 38cm (15 inches).“This is a life-threatening situation”, the center warned. “Persons located within these areas should take all necessary actions to protect life and property from rising water and the potential for other dangerous conditions.”States of emergency have been issued by governments in parts of Alabama, Florida and Georgia. Several coastal counties along the Gulf of Mexico have mandatory evacuation orders.Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who has requested an emergency declaration from US President Donald Trump ahead of Isaias’ landfall, warned residents in the state’s panhandle region of potentially significant storm damage.“But the surge is really what puts a lot of people’s lives in jeopardy if they haven’t heeded evacuation orders, and does the most significant damage from these storms,” DeSantis said. “Everywhere from Pensacola all the way into the Big Bend section of north Florida, you could see storm surge. So please take caution of that.”“And we always say you hide from the wind, but you run from the water. When the water’s rising and things are happening, it’s a very, very difficult conundrum — and you do not want to be caught in that,” he added.On Thursday, the US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) urged Gulf Coast residents to prepare for the hurricane and said its offices were “fully engaged”.As of early Friday, the NHC said Isaias was centred about 386km (240 miles) south of Pensacola in Florida and moving north-northeast at 24kph (15 mph).