00:00Hurricane Isaias has strengthened into a major Category 3 hurricane as it charges towards the
00:05central Gulf Coast. The storm is forecast to make landfall Friday night near Pensacola Beach,
00:09Florida as a Category 2 hurricane and will bring dangerous storm surge, destructive winds,
00:14flooding rain, and even tornadoes to parts of Alabama and the Florida Panhandle. Cities including
00:19Mobile, Pensacola, Gulf Shores, and Panama City could see some of the storm's strongest impacts
00:24as conditions rapidly deteriorate ahead of landfall. Storm surge remains a life-threatening
00:29concern with water levels rising 6 to 10 feet along parts of the Alabama coast and western
00:35Florida Panhandle. Flooding rain, another major threat with 8 to 12 inches expected near the
00:40storm's path and locally higher totals possible. Further north, 4 to 8 inches could fall along the
00:45Carolina coast and in the mountains. Wind gusts could top 100 miles per hour near and east of the
00:51center of the storm while tropical storm force winds spread well inland. The tornado threat begins
00:56today across parts of Florida, then shifts into cities like Montgomery, Savannah, Charleston,
01:02Charlotte, Raleigh, and Richmond through the weekend. Storm surge, destructive winds, flooding rain,
01:07and tornadoes. Isaias isn't bringing just one hazard, it's bringing multiple threats to millions across
01:12the Gulf Coast and southeast for several days. If you live in the path of the storm, now is the
01:18time
01:18to finish preparations before conditions continue to worsen.
