The National Hurricane Center posted a hurricane watch for part of the Florida Panhandle on Wednesday as Tropical Storm Isaias gathered strength in the southwestern Gulf.
At 11 a.m. Eastern time, Isaias had top sustained winds near 45 mph and was moving east-northeast at about 8 mph, roughly 540 miles south-southwest of the mouth of the Mississippi River. Forecasters expect the storm to strengthen quickly and become a hurricane by Thursday, then curve north and near the northern Gulf Coast on Friday.
Watches along the coast
- Hurricane watch: Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, to Indian Pass, Florida.
- Tropical storm watch: east of Indian Pass to the Aucilla River, plus a stretch of the Louisiana and Mississippi coast.
- Storm surge watch: the mouth of the Mississippi River east to Yankeetown, Florida.
The center said water could rise 5 to 7 feet above ground between Ocean Springs, Mississippi, and Indian Pass if the peak surge arrives at high tide, 3 to 5 feet from Indian Pass to the Aucilla River, and 2 to 4 feet from the Aucilla River to Yankeetown. Tropical storm conditions could reach the watch areas around midday Friday, and hurricane conditions late Friday.
From Friday through the weekend, forecasters expect 3 to 6 inches of rain, with isolated totals near 10 inches, from far southeastern Louisiana to the Panhandle.
State emergency order
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed Executive Order 26-202 Tuesday night, declaring a state of emergency in 25 counties: Baker, Bay, Calhoun, Columbia, Dixie, Escambia, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Gulf, Hamilton, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, Leon, Liberty, Madison, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Suwannee, Taylor, Walton, Wakulla and Washington. Seminole County is not on the list.
