Hurricane Isaias threatens the northern Gulf Coast with heavy rains and flooding. See maps, planned route.

Hurricane Isaiah was intensifying early Thursday and 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 following a tropical storm Wednesday evening.

A hurricane warning is in effect for the northern Gulf Coast, from the Mississippi-Alabama border, through southern Alabama, to Panama City, Florida.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency in more than two dozen counties in his state, and Alabama Governor Kay Ivey declared a state of emergency for 40 counties.

Maps show hurricane’s path

Isaias, pronounced “ees-ah-EE-ahs,” had maximum sustained winds of 85 mph at 11 a.m. ET, and its core was located about 380 miles south of the mouth of the Mississippi River, according to the National Hurricane Center. Hurricane-force winds extended outward up to 15 miles from the center of the storm, and tropical storm-force winds extended outward up to 90 miles.

“Additional strengthening is expected through Friday morning, and Isaias is expected to remain a dangerous hurricane as it approaches the northern Gulf Coast Friday evening,” the center said, emphasizing that “preparations to protect lives and property from damaging storm surges and winds along the Gulf Coast warning zone should be completed as soon as possible.”

Mandatory evacuations were ordered in parts of Okaloosa and Walton counties in Florida, which went into effect at 12 p.m. ET on Thursday. Voluntary evacuations were in place for coastal areas of southeast Alabama, with Gulf Shores city officials urging non-residents to leave the area to “help alleviate traffic congestion, support emergency operations and ensure the safety of those who may be most vulnerable during the storm.”

Dauphin Island Mayor Jeff Collier told CBS News on Thursday that his biggest concern for the coastal Alabama community is whether its residents and visitors will heed official warnings.

“Because what inevitably happens is people hear the warnings, but don’t take action until it’s far too late,” Collier said. “And often, if the situation is really bad, first responders can’t reach people until things calm down a little bit.”

Along with the hurricane warning, a tropical storm warning was issued from the southeast corner of Louisiana to Biloxi, Mississippi, and in and around Apalachicola, Florida. A storm surge warning was issued from the mouth of the Mississippi River in southeastern Louisiana across the Mississippi and Alabama coasts to the Florida Panhandle. A storm surge watch was also in effect for parts of Florida’s Big Bend region along the Gulf Coast.

The hurricane center is forecasting 3 to 7 inches of rain and up to 15 inches in some locations along the coast from southeastern Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle. Much of the Southeast, and as far north as the Tennessee Valley and the Carolinas, could see heavy rain.

Forecasters said the rain could cause flooding, particularly in urban areas and around rivers, “some of which could be significant.” Tornadoes could also materialize overnight Friday into Saturday in coastal areas of Alabama, Georgia and the Florida Panhandle, they added.

The latest for a first hurricane since 1905

Isaias’ development into a hurricane Wednesday marked the latest date in 121 years for the development of the first hurricane of the Atlantic season, narrowly missing a record set on Oct. 8, 1905, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration data.

The season, unusually calm in the Atlantic this year, extends from June 1 to November 30.

An Atlantic hurricane season typically produces an average of 14 named storms, seven hurricanes and three major hurricanes, according to the hurricane center, which used climate data collected between 1991 and 2020 to calculate these numbers. The first named storm of a season normally forms in mid-to-late June, while the first hurricane tends to form in early to mid-August, and the first major hurricane often occurs in late August or early September.

Forecasters predicted there would be less storm activity in the Atlantic than usual this year, but so far it has been even quieter than expected. Meteorologists say this is largely due to the appearance of a strong El Niño during the summer, which generally correlates with cooler water temperatures and greater fluctuations in wind patterns over the Atlantic, conditions that inhibit the growth of tropical systems. The Pacific, meanwhile, experienced a series of unusually active hurricanes.