Hurricane Isaias strengthens to Category 2, threatens northern Gulf Coast. See maps, forecast path.

Updated on: October 8, 2026 / 5:25 PM EDT / CBS News

Hurricane Isaias is intensifying and is expected to make landfall along the U.S. Gulf Coast late Friday or early Saturday, threatening parts of Mississippi, Alabama and the western part of the Florida Panhandle. It became the first hurricane of the 2026 Atlantic season after strengthening from a tropical storm late Wednesday night.

Isaias is now a Category 2 with maximum sustained winds of 100 miles per hour. A hurricane warning is in effect for the northern Gulf Coast, from the Mississippi-Alabama state line, across southern Alabama, to Panama City, Florida.

"Extremely high seas, heavy rains, and damaging winds that accompany tropical storms and hurricanes present serious dangers to the public," the U.S. Coast Guard said in a statement.

The core of Isaias, pronounced "ees-ah-EE-ahs," was located about 325 miles south of the mouth of the Mississippi River, moving northeast at 12 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center's latest update Thursday evening. Hurricane-force winds extended outward up to 15 miles from the storm's center, and tropical-storm-force winds extended outward up to 125 miles.

"Additional strengthening is expected through early Friday, and Isaias should remain a dangerous hurricane as…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/healthwatch/