Isaias strengthens into Category 2 hurricane : NPR

Key Points:

• Hurricane Isaias intensified into a Category 2 storm with winds of 105 mph as it approached the U.S. Gulf Coast, prompting evacuations and preparations in Florida, Alabama, and Mississippi ahead of its expected landfall late Friday or early Saturday.
• Officials issued hurricane and storm surge warnings along the coast, with potential for 5 to 7 feet of storm surge, heavy rainfall up to 15 inches, flooding, tornadoes, and long-duration power outages across the affected regions.
• States of emergency were declared in Florida and Alabama, with thousands of National Guard troops mobilized and multiple school districts canceling classes; coastal residents and tourists were urged to evacuate or seek safer locations inland.
• The storm has already impacted oil production by shutting down about 63% of Gulf offshore platforms, removing nearly 1.3 million barrels per day from the market, and is expected to disrupt local events including a major college football game.
• Isaias formed unusually late in the Atlantic hurricane season, nearly breaking a 121-year-old record, and is moving through an area historically vulnerable to severe hurricanes like Camille, Katrina, and Michael.