Isaias strengthens into Category 2 hurricane on collision course with the Gulf Coast

The first hurricane of the Atlantic season was forecast to intensify rapidly and cause dangerous conditions in the Florida Panhandle, southern Alabama and southern Mississippi when it makes landfall late Friday or early Saturday.

<img src='https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/1788x1754+0+0/resize/1788x1754!/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ffe%2F5c%2Fb9d992f643e597cfafb2fae051c6%2Fap26281529295134.jpg' alt='This satellite image from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows Hurricane Isaias surging toward the U.S. Gulf Coast on Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026.'/><p>The first hurricane of the Atlantic season was forecast to intensify rapidly and cause dangerous conditions in the Florida Panhandle, southern Alabama and southern Mississippi when it makes landfall late Friday or early Saturday.</p><p>(Image credit: National Oceanic and Atmospheric)</p><img src='https://media.npr.org/include/images/tracking/npr-rss-pixel.png?story=nx-s1-5996396' />