Tropical Storm Isaias forecast to hit US Gulf coast as hurricane early Saturday

Tropical Storm Isaias formed early Wednesday in the warm waters off eastern Mexico and is forecast to strengthen into a hurricane, potentially hitting the U.S. Gulf Coast later in the week. Currently located about 285 miles west of Progreso, Mexico, and 580 miles southwest of the Mississippi River’s mouth, the storm has maximum sustained winds of 40 mph and is moving east-northeast at 8 mph.

The National Hurricane Center's initial projections suggest the storm could make landfall between eastern Louisiana and the western Florida Panhandle.

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