Isaias strengthened into a hurricane late Wednesday, and the National Hurricane Center upgraded its Florida Panhandle watches to warnings. For Seminole County, forecasters still expect rain rather than direct storm impacts.
Air Force Reserve hurricane hunters measured top sustained winds of 75 mph at 11:30 p.m. Eastern time, when the center was about 460 miles south-southwest of the mouth of the Mississippi River, moving east-northeast near 9 mph.
Warnings along the Gulf Coast
With its 11 p.m. Eastern advisory, the hurricane center posted:
- Hurricane warning: Ocean Springs, Mississippi, to the Bay/Gulf County line in Florida
- Storm surge warning: mouth of the Mississippi River to the Steinhatchee River, Florida
- Tropical storm warning: east of the Bay/Gulf County line to the Aucilla River, and from the Jefferson/Plaquemines Parish line in Louisiana to west of Ocean Springs
- Storm surge watch: Steinhatchee River to Yankeetown
The center expects Isaias to keep strengthening over very warm water, with rapid intensification possible, and to near the northern Gulf Coast as a strong hurricane Friday night. Its forecast peaks the storm at 110 mph before landfall late Friday or early Saturday.
Surge could reach 5 to 7 feet above ground from Ocean Springs to Indian Pass, and 4 to 6 feet from Indian Pass to the Steinhatchee River, if the peak arrives at high tide. Forecasters told residents in the hurricane warning area to prepare for possibly long power outages.
What it means here
The National Weather Service office in Melbourne had no watches or warnings for east central Florida as of its Wednesday evening forecast discussion. It expects a stalled front and deep tropical moisture to keep rain chances at 80% to 90% on Thursday and 60% to 80% Friday, with a marginal risk of excessive rainfall through at least Thursday.
