Hurricane Isaias nears Florida Panhandle as Category 3 with 7-foot surge

Hurricane Isaias strengthened to a Category 3 storm on Friday morning and was bearing down on the Florida Panhandle, where several counties had issued evacuation orders. The storm was set to hit the north Gulf Coast on Friday evening before reaching Alabama, according to the National Hurricane Center. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis warned residents to evacuate areas expected to be affected as the Gulf Coast braced for the first big storm of the season.abcnews.com

The storm carried life-threatening surge and devastating winds. Florida officials warned that storm surge could reach up to 7 feet along parts of the Panhandle, while conditions were rapidly deteriorating along the northern Gulf Coast, according to a 4 p.m. ET update from the National Hurricane Center. Hurricane warnings stretched from east of Biloxi, Mississippi, to Panama City, Florida, and a tornado watch covered Pensacola through Tallahassee.washingtonexaminer.com+1

What the storm threatens

As of 3 p.m., Isaias was located about 125 miles south of Pensacola, Florida, and 140 miles south of Mobile, Alabama, with tropical storm conditions spreading onshore before the hurricane was set to make landfall in the evening. Tropical storm-force storms bore down on the Florida Panhandle and parts of Alabama and Georgia. Isaias could make landfall as early as 9 p.m. EDT.

The National Hurricane Center told residents that preparations against life-threatening storm surge and devastating winds should be completed in the next couple of hours. A tornado watch was issued for parts of the Florida Panhandle, southern Georgia and Alabama through 9 p.m. ET, including Pensacola, Panama City and Tallahassee. Convective bands from the hurricane would continue to move north and overspread the watch area Friday afternoon into the evening, with embedded tornadic storm cells possible within those bands.

Dozens of counties in Florida and Alabama were under mandatory evacuation orders. Alabama's Gulf Shores beach town was deserted while its residents evacuated, and a local Waffle House, which usually stays open through natural disasters, closed Friday morning. Customers emptied aisles at hardware stores as they made final preparations. In Mississippi, streets and local businesses were emptied and shut down, well away from the storm's path.

Where the storm sat at 3 p.m

Power outages were reported in thousands of homes, including 11,600 customers in Florida, 10,400 in Louisiana, 7,250 in Alabama, 1,800 in Mississippi and 1,500 in Georgia. Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport in Panama City, Florida, ceased all commercial operations as of 1 p.m. CT Friday. The Federal Aviation Administration said the hurricane could affect travel in the Gulf Coast and Southeast through the weekend, warning of delays and cancellations.

Alabama Governor Kay Ivey declared a state of emergency for 40 counties through Wednesday, saying it would allow the state to take any needed steps ahead of landfall. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said now is the time to finalize your plans, adding that anyone not evacuating should have everything needed to shelter in place. North Carolina Governor Josh Stein urged residents to prepare, not panic, and to sign up for local emergency alerts.

President Donald Trump canceled plans to attend the University of Georgia versus University of Alabama game in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, on Saturday, writing that first responders and law enforcement should be focused on the storm. The Federal Aviation Administration said travel could be affected through the weekend. In Mississippi, business owner Echo Bond said that the day was a bust, though the hurricane was nowhere near.

Who ordered evacuations and closures

The hurricane's reach extended beyond the states in its path. Alabama's Gulf Shores was deserted, and Mississippi's streets and businesses emptied as residents prepared for conditions well outside the forecast cone. Emergency responders and residents across the Gulf Coast braced for the storm's arrival, with dozens of counties under mandatory evacuation orders in Florida and Alabama.

Isaias was set to hit the north Gulf Coast on Friday evening before reaching Alabama, according to the National Hurricane Center, with landfall possible as early as 9 p.m. EDT. Alabama's state of emergency runs through Wednesday. The Federal Aviation Administration said the hurricane could affect travel in the Gulf Coast and Southeast through the weekend, with delays and cancellations possible.