Hurricane Isaias strengthens to Cat 2 en route to southern US

MIAMI - Hurricane Isaias has intensified to a Category 2 storm in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, barreling towards the southern United States, according to the National Hurricane Centre (NHC). As the first hurricane of the Atlantic season, Isaias is projected to make landfall overnight from Friday to Saturday in Florida, Alabama, or Mississippi, the NHC warned.

Residents in the likely impact zone are advised to complete emergency preparations for high winds and storm surges. A storm surge warning is in effect from the Mississippi River's mouth to the Suwannee River, while a hurricane warning is active from Ocean Springs, Mississippi, to the Gulf County line in Florida. The hurricane, currently about 525km south of the Mississippi River delta, is generating maximum sustained winds of 155kph, classifying it as a Category 2 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale.