Hurricane Isaias strengthens to Category 2, landfall expected Friday night
Hurricane Isaias has intensified into a Category 2 hurricane over the Gulf of Mexico, with maximum sustained winds of 165 km/h (105 mph) and a central pressure of 969 mb. The storm is located approximately 415 km (260 miles) south of the mouth of the Mississippi River and is moving northeast at 22 km/h (14 mph). The National Hurricane Center has issued a Hurricane Warning from Ocean Springs, Mississippi, to the Bay/Gulf County Line, Florida, and a Storm Surge Warning from the mouth of the Mississippi River to the Suwannee River, Florida. Isaias is forecast to strengthen further, potentially reaching major hurricane status (115 mph) before making landfall late Friday, 9 October, or early Saturday, 10 October.