Category 3 Hurricane Isaias barrels toward Friday night landfall along western Florida Panhandle

Hurricane Isaias is now expected to make landfall along the western Florida Panhandle by Friday evening, with life-threatening storm surge and devastating winds likely.The National Hurricane Center upgraded Isaias to a Category 3 major hurricane at 8:20 a.m. when it registered sustained winds of 120 mph.As of 11 a.m., the center of Isaias was about 145 miles southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River, and the system is moving north-northeast at 16 mph. The minimum central pressure remains 959 mb.7:20 AM CDT Friday Oct 9 Update: Isaias becomes a major hurricane. Data from an Air Force Reserve hurricane hunter aircraft indicate that the maximum sustained winds have increased to 120 mph. Isaias is now a category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.… pic.twitter.com/kyhpZDCNXQ National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) October 9, 2026Some weakening is expected before landfall, but the storm is forecast to remain dangerous.A hurricane warning is in effect from Ocea