Hurricane Isaias live path tracker, updates
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Franklin County, Florida, which was under a tropical storm warning when this story was published, issued a mandatory evacuation for coastal homes and RVs in Alligator Point, Bald Point, St. George Island and Dog Island, which are in the path of the storm, according to television station WCTV.
Hurricane warning was in effect from Ocean Springs, Mississippi, to the Gulf County Line in Florida, the NHC said in its latest update.
Isaias is a dangerous hurricane and residents can expect "significant storm surge, damaging winds, and flooding rains when it reaches the northern Gulf Coast," according to the National Hurricane Center, which also encouraged residents in the path of the storm to prepare for power outages.
Follow live updates on the Category 1 storm thatās quickly gaining speed and intensity before its expected landfall in Florida and Alabama.
Landfalling tropical systems have a history of producing tornadoes, but the atmospheric ingredients around Hurricane Isaias appear conducive for supercells and tornadoes across northern Florida.
Forecasters warned "rapid intensification is a distinct possibility" and Isaias is expected to be a dangerous hurricane as it makes landfall.
With less than two months remaining in the hurricane season, the potential for a ninth named tropical storm in the Atlantic basin is brewing in the southern Gulf. Since the Atlantic's season began on June 1, it has only seen eight named storms this year, while El Niño continues to bring a more active season in the Pacific. The season ends Nov. 30.