APPLENEWS - STORY ADD
Hurricane Isaias updates: Isaias strengthens to Category 3
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 10 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.
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Isaias 180 miles south of Pensacola, Florida
As of 12 p.m. ET on Friday, Hurricane Isaias had 120 mph max sustained winds and remained a Category 3 hurricane.
The hurricane was 180 miles south of Pensacola, Florida, moving north-northeast at 16 mph.
Isaias prompts evacuation orders for Florida, Alabama counties
Evacuation orders have been issued for several counties in the Florida Panhandle and Alabama as Hurricane Isaias, now a powerful Category 3 storm, inches closer to landfall.
No commercial flights out of Mobile, Alabama, after 1 p.m.
Mobile Regional Airport said in a social media post that no commercial flights will operate after 1 p.m. ET Friday.
Additionally, all flights are cancelled Friday at Dothan Regional Airport in Alabama, the Dothan Airport said.
The FAA said that Hurricane Isaias could cause Gulf route closures.
Hertz is also waiving early and late return fees, reservation change fees and one-way rental fees for travelers impacted by the event.
Escambia County official warns 'Your time for prep is coming to an end very fast'
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."
Isaias strengthens to Category 3
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.