Hurricane Isaias forms in Gulf, forecast to strengthen before northern Gulf Coast landfall

Hurricane Isaias forms in Gulf, forecast to strengthen before northern Gulf Coast landfall

The National Hurricane Center upgraded Isaias to a hurricane late Wednesday night as the system moved through the Gulf of America.

As of 10:30 p.m. Central time, on October 7, Hurricane Isaias was about 180 miles northwest of Progreso, Mexico, and about 460 miles south-southwest of the mouth of the Mississippi River. The storm had maximum sustained winds of 75 miles per hour and was moving east-northeast at 9 miles per hour. nhc.noaa.gov

The National Hurricane Center says Isaias is expected to continue moving east-northeast overnight before turning northeast and then north Thursday and Friday.

Forecasters expect the hurricane to strengthen further before approaching the northern Gulf Coast late Friday night or early Saturday. The forecast track brings the center toward the coast within the current warning area stretching from Ocean Springs, Mississippi, to the Bay/Gulf County Line in Florida. National Hurricane Center

A hurricane warning is in effect for that portion of the Gulf Coast. A storm surge warning is in effect from the mouth of the Mississippi River to the Steinhatchee River in Flor...