Isaias strengthened into a major hurricane Friday as it closed in on the U.S. Gulf Coast, the Associated Press reported.
The Category 3 storm had winds of 120 mph and was expected to keep strengthening, according to the National Hurricane Center. It was forecast to make landfall late Friday near the Alabama-Florida line.
Forecasters warned of life-threatening storm surge and dangerous conditions in the Florida Panhandle, southern Alabama and southern Mississippi. Rain began falling along the coast Friday morning.
Several Florida Panhandle counties were under mandatory evacuation orders, and Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey told tourists in coastal areas to leave immediately. Shelters opened in Mobile County schools, Dothan churches and at a Northwest Florida State College arena.
The storm was expected to weaken quickly after landfall and become a tropical storm by Saturday afternoon as it moved inland along the Alabama-Mississippi line.
In the Pacific, Hurricane Simon was headed toward Mexico’s coast and forecast to strengthen significantly, with hurricane warnings for parts of the central and southwest coast. Forecasters said a strong El Niño has fueled above-average Pacific storm activity this season.
Remnants of eastern Pacific storms often push moisture into Arizona, and forecasters will be watching Simon’s track.
Sources: KTAR News/AP. Thee Arizona Times uses AI-assisted reporting reviewed against the sources listed.
Photo: GOES imagery: CSU/CIRA & NOAA / Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.
