Hurricane Isaias was upgraded to a Category 3 storm Friday morning.
Communities on the U.S. Gulf Coast are preparing for Hurricane Isaias, now a Category 3 hurricane, to make landfall Friday between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m.
A hurricane warning is currently in effect from just east of Biloxi, Mississippi, through Mobile and Pensacola to Panama City and Mexico Beach, Florida.
Many low-lying and coastal areas, particularly on the Florida Panhandle, are under evacuation orders, with communities preparing for strong winds that could near 120 mph in some locations, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said in a press conference Friday morning.
Storm surge warnings are also in place along the coast, with surges forecast to reach up to 9 feet from the Santa Rosa/Okaloosa County Line, Florida, to Grayton Beach, Florida.
As of 8 p.m. ET on Friday, Hurricane Isaias had 110 mph max sustained winds and had weakened slightly to a Category 2 hurricane.
The hurricane was 45 miles south of Pensacola, Florida, moving north at 18 mph.
Escambia County Public Safety Director Eric Gilmore warned residents of the Northwest Florida county, which includes Pensacola, that time is running out to prepare for Hurricane Isaias.
"Your time for prep is coming to an end very fast," Gilmore said during a press conference Friday morning. "Make sure by this afternoon, by noon today, you're in your safe space."
At 8:20 a.m. ET the National Hurricane Center upgraded Hurricane Isaias to a major Category 3 hurricane.
"The resources have been flowing, the preparations have been extensive, and we are taking this storm very, very seriously," Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said ahead of Hurricane Isaias' landfall.
