Isaias has gotten closer to land and intensified overnight, according to this morning's update from the National Hurricane Center. As it churns over the Gulf of Mexico, the warm and deep water may help the storm continue to intensify for the next 12 hours.
This means more weather advisories for Georgia. The National Weather Service issued a tropical storm warning for five counties in the corner of southwest Georgia, a tropical storm watch for much of southwest Georgia (including Columbus and Americus), and a lake wind advisory for the Augusta area. There's also a flood watch for Atlanta, Athens, Macon, and much of the north, middle, and south Georgia (east Georgia is largely exempt right now).
Savannah is under a rip current risk with heavy rain
almost certain Saturday. Thunderstorms are possible, and winds of 14-16 mph with gusts as high as 26 mph are likely. The weather will start to turn tonight and could persist through Sunday, but is projected to ease by the end of the weekend.
Watches and Warnings in Georgia: See the map
Is Isaias a hurricane yet?
Isaias grew into Category 3 hurricane strength early Friday and is expected to make landfall as a Category 2. The categories are determined by wind speeds, with Category 1 storms having 74-95 mph winds and Category 2 having 96-110 mph winds. Category 3 winds are 111 to 129 mph.
Where is Hurricane Isaias now
As of 8 a.m. Friday, the eye of Hurricane Isaias was about 170 miles from the mouth of the Mississippi River with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph. It's moving towards the north-northeast near 15 mph with a more northbound turn expected later today.
Where is Hurricane Isaias going to hit
Isaias is approaching the U.S. northern Gulf Coast and is likely to make landfall in the area of the Florida-Alabama border.
Hurricane Isaias landfall time
Isaias is expected to make landfall sometime tonight or early Saturday. A slight weakening is expected before reaching land, but it will remain a dangerous hurricane.
Hurricane Isaias path
Here is the USA Today Co. map of Hurricane Isaias' projected path:
Here is our spaghetti model of the storm:
Is Georgia in a state of emergency?
A state of emergency became effective in Georgia late Thursday night. This does multiple things including activating the Georgia State Operations Center, calling up 500 National Guard troops for active duty, and bans price gouging.
Pronunciation of Isaias
The National Hurricane Center says Isaias should be pronounced as ees-ah-EE-ahs.
What does the name Isaias mean?
According to The Bump, the origin Isaias is Hebrew and means "salvation of God" or "God is my salvation." It's also an alternative spelling for Isaiah.
Miguel Legoas is a Deep South Connect Team Reporter for USA Today. Find him on Instagram @miguelegoas and email at mlegoas@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Hurricane Isaias landfall tonight. Watches, warnings rise across Georgia
