Hurricane Isaias chases major hurricane strength with evacuations underway on Gulf Coast

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• Record-shattering Isaias has strengthened into a Category 2 hurricane en route to landfall on the northern Gulf Coast by this weekend. The storm rapidly intensified into the Atlantic season’s first hurricane Wednesday night.

• Isaias is expected to strengthen further and briefly become a Category 3 “major hurricane” early Friday before weakening some and making landfall late Friday night. Locations on the coast could see up to 7 feet of storm surge and up to 15 inches of rain, with short-lived tornadoes popping up with little notice.

• States of emergency have been issued in parts of Alabama, Florida and Georgia, and mandatory evacuation orders have been issued in some areas.

• Some Florida airports are scheduled to close ahead of the storm. Amtrak services in parts of Louisiana and Alabama are also disrupted.

Hurricane Isaias is expected to strengthen significantly over Thursday and Friday. Even if it weakens slightly before landfall, the storm will remain dangerous along the Gulf Coast.

Hurricane Isaias is due to make landfall late Friday night into Saturday as a strong Category two storm. A state of emergency has been declared across Florida and Alabama.

Meteorologist Ali Van Fleet explains how a weakening hurricane can still grow in size and threaten a broader region with rain, storm surge and even tornadoes.

All hurricanes are dangerous, but their impacts aren't always created equal. Meteorologist Chris Warren explains how storm size and storm strength influence the impacts communities experience before, during and after landfall.

To help people prepare for hurricanes, scientists studied 40 tropical cyclones and found storm surge hits in eight ways.

Couple says weekend wedding will go ahead despite Isaias threat

As Hurricane Isaias threatens Florida’s Gulf Coast, one couple said they’re getting married in Pensacola this weekend, “no matter what.”

“We’re going to make it happen,” groom Jeff Ackerman told CNN’s Rafael Romo on Thursday, adding the ceremony could take place “in a backyard” or “a parking lot” if necessary.

Bride Cassy Cooper said they had planned a beach wedding in Pensacola, but the storm has already forced last-minute changes. “It still could be canceled and we don’t really have a backup plan for that,” she said.

Despite the uncertainty, the couple said family and friends have still made the trip to attend the wedding. “All that matters is that we’re getting married,” Cooper said.

Isaias is expected to weaken before landfall. That will expand its danger

Isaias is forecast to run into some storm-disrupting wind shear the closer it gets to the US coast. This shear — changes in wind speed or direction at different levels of the atmosphere — is going to push Isaias a little off-kilter, focusing the worst of its wind and rain on the north side of the storm.

This lopsidedness will weaken Isaias — but also expand the reach of its winds.

A stronger storm tends to stay compact, like an ice skater spinning. Try to knock that same skater off balance, they’ll put out their arms to steady themself.

That’s basically the same thing we’re expecting with Isaias’ winds — instead of staying confined closer to the center, they’ll stretch out farther. More places could be hit with Isaias’ strong winds as a result, even if the storm is a bit weaker overall.

Isaias could knock out power well inland

Isaias is guaranteed to knock out power and down trees where it makes landfall along the coast, but outages could extend further inland into parts of the Southeast.

Isaias will be moving fast and grow larger before it moves inland. Those are two of the factors that will fuel wind gusts of 30 to 50 mph that will spread northward into parts of central and northern Alabama, northern Georgia and northeast Mississippi on Saturday.

Those gusts are nowhere near as fierce as what the coast will see, but it could be enough to cause at least isolated to scattered power outages, particularly in Alabama.

Isaias could spawn tornadoes after dark Friday, heightening the danger

Tornadoes could develop late Friday into early Saturday across the Florida Panhandle, Big Bend and nearby southern Alabama and southwestern Georgia. The threat could continue through Saturday night farther inland across eastern Alabama and Georgia, even as Isaias weakens.

Nighttime tornadoes are nearly twice as likely to be deadly as daytime tornadoes, a 2022 study found. Darkness makes them harder to spot, and sleeping residents can miss warnings.

Make sure you and your loved ones enable phone emergency alerts and have a weather radio or other ways to receive alerts that can wake you.

Hurricane Isaias is expected to make landfall this weekend. Here's what to know

The record-breaking Hurricane Isaias is getting stronger as it heads north to the Gulf Coast. The storm is expected to make landfall late Friday as the season’s first Atlantic hurricane .

Here’s what you should know:

What to expect: Isaias is forecast to briefly become a major hurricane — a Category 3 or stronger storm — and then weaken some before making landfall late Friday night.

Evacuations and closures: Officials have asked those within the storm’s forecasted path to evacuate and residents boarded up their homes , filled sandbags and stocked up on supplies. Some energy companies including Chevron and Shell are shutting down production at some offshore facilities and evacuating workers. Schools in the region have also announced closures , some Florida airports have preemptively closed , and all trains along the Amtrak Mardi Gras Service line, which runs between New Orleans, Louisiana and Mobile, Alabama, are canceled through Sunday. Some areas are under states of emergency .

Forecasted threats: Isaias is forecast to bring flooding , dangerous storm surge and even some tornadoes to the Gulf Coast. It’s expected to grow larger as it nears the coast, so wet and windy conditions are likely across a wide area of the Southeast through Saturday. Isaias could also knock out power and down trees where it makes landfall along the coast, but outages could extend further inland into parts of the Southeast.

CNN’s Briana Waxman, Maria Aguilar Prieto, Mary Gilbert, Chris Dolce, Sara Smart, Rebekah Riess, Brandon Miller, Taylor Ward and Kate S. Petersen contributed reporting.

Emergency declared in several states

Several places have declared a state of emergency as they brace for Hurricane Isaias to make landfall.

On Tuesday, Gov. Ron DeSantis urged residents of the state to make a plan and stock their emergency supply kits.

The state of emergency declaration, issued for 25 counties, “ensures communities have the time and resources necessary to prepare for potential severe weather impacts to the Panhandle and Big Bend region of Florida,” he said in a post on X .

Florida also has a State Assistance Information Line (SAIL) available for anyone needing assistance or information: 1-800-342-3557

Gov. Kay Ivey declared a state of emergency for 40 counties. “While I hope for minimal impacts, we must take preparations seriously,” she said .

Ivey also announced that state offices and buildings will close at noon Friday in several counties, according to a statement.

Gov. Brian Kemp declared a state of emergency Thursday. The order, which applies to the entire state of Georgia, allows for storm preparations and the mobilization of up to 500 National Guard troops if necessary, Kemp said at a news conference Thursday.

“We don’t believe we’re going to need this, but we want to have that option should something change with the storm and its movement over the next 24 hours or so, and certainly, as the storm hits,” he said.

How Hurricane Isaias created this spectacular sunset in Atlanta

A remarkable sunset unfolded over Atlanta on Thursday. CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam explains how distant Hurricane Isaias in the Gulf created the spectacle.

Storms with "I" names are particularly damaging. Here's why

Isaias is in infamous company as an “I” named storm.

The list of names runs alphabetically, so “I” goes to the ninth named storm — which usually forms around the peak of Atlantic hurricane season in mid-September, when conditions are primed to fuel powerful storms. And since 1953, Atlantic storms with “I” names reach Category 3 strength or higher more frequently than any other letter.

Ivan in 2004, Irma in 2017, Ida in 2021 and most recently Ian in 2022 each reached at least Category 4 strength and went on to make landfall in the United States. Ian struck southwestern Florida with 150 mph winds, resulted in 150 deaths and caused over $112 billion in damage, becoming the costliest hurricane in the state’s history.

Storms that are especially deadly or damaging have their name retired from the official list. Thirteen names starting with I have been retired, more than any other letter.

Isaias formed on October 6, weeks later than usual for an “I” storm, thanks to this year’s super El Niño putting a damper on storms in the Atlantic. It’s currently forecast to make landfall on the Gulf Coast this weekend.

Hurricane Isaias strengthened into a Category 2 on Thursday afternoon, putting the northern Gulf Coast on alert for dangerous storm surge, damaging winds and flooding rain ahead of an expected landfall on Friday night.

The hurricane has 105 mph winds and could peak as a Category 3 “major hurricane” with 115 mph winds by Thursday night or early Friday. It will likely weaken as it draws closer to the coast but is expected to still be a dangerous hurricane when it makes landfall.

Hurricane and storm surge warnings, which predict 74 mph or stronger winds and life-threatening coastal flooding within 36 hours, are in effect for coastal parts of Mississippi, Alabama and Florida, which are expected to endure the storm’s worst conditions.

Isaias’ heaviest rain will lash southern Alabama and the Florida Panhandle, so the biggest flash flood threat is expected there. The hardest-hit areas could see 4 to 8 inches of rain, with up to 15 inches in spots.

The storm’s fast movement plus dry ground will prevent flash flooding from being too widespread across the rest of the Southeast, but significant impacts are still possible in limited areas. Most locations can expect 1 to 3 inches, but localized totals up to 5 inches are possible.

The downpours will start to ramp up along the coast as soon as Friday and then continue to soak the region while creeping farther inland through the weekend.

Tropical storm-force winds of 39 mph or stronger, with higher gusts, could reach the Gulf Coast in the daytime on Friday as Isaias approaches the coastline.

Hurricane-force winds of 74 mph or more are likely Friday night into early Saturday morning where Isaias makes landfall. Numerous power outages and downed trees are possible from southeast Mississippi to southern Alabama and the western Panhandle.

Wind gusts of 30 to 50 mph could spread well inland across parts of central and northern Alabama, northern and western Georgia and northeast Mississippi on Saturday. That could be enough to cause at least isolated to scattered power outages and topple some trees, particularly in Alabama.

The biggest push of dangerous and life-threatening storm surge will be near and just east of where the storm’s center makes landfall on Friday night.

Locations on the coast from eastern Mississippi to Alabama, including Mobile Bay and the western Florida Panhandle, could see 5 to 7 feet of inundation above normally dry ground if the peak surge happens at high tide. This could flood roads and damage structures near the coast.

Isaias will produce at least a few tornadoes within its rainbands Friday night through Saturday. Areas to the east of the storm’s center will be most at risk for these tornadoes. Tropical tornadoes tend to be short-lived and sometimes pop up with little notice.

The greatest tornado threat is expected in the areas shaded darkest orange in the maps below.

⛈️🌊 在 CNN 天气应用程序中追踪风暴，查看您所在地区的风险，并获取气象学家提供的更详细的时间信息

• 破纪录的伊萨亚斯飓风已增强为二级飓风，预计将于本周末在墨西哥湾北部沿岸登陆。这场风暴于周三晚间迅速增强，成为今年大西洋飓风季的首个飓风。

预计伊萨亚斯飓风将继续增强，并在周五凌晨短暂达到三级“强飓风”强度，之后强度有所减弱，并于周五深夜登陆。沿海地区可能出现高达7英尺的风暴潮和高达15英寸的降雨，并可能出现短暂的龙卷风，且往往毫无预兆。

• 阿拉巴马州、佛罗里达州和佐治亚州部分地区已宣布进入紧急状态，一些地区已发布强制疏散令。

• 佛罗里达州部分机场计划在风暴来临前关闭。路易斯安那州和阿拉巴马州部分地区的美国铁路公司（Amtrak）服务也受到影响。

预计飓风伊萨亚斯将在周四和周五显著增强。即使在登陆前略有减弱，这场风暴仍将对墨西哥湾沿岸地区构成威胁。

飓风伊萨亚斯预计将于周五晚间至周六登陆，届时将达到强劲的二级飓风强度。佛罗里达州和阿拉巴马州已宣布进入紧急状态。

气象学家阿里·范·弗利特解释说，减弱的飓风仍然可能扩大规模，并以降雨、风暴潮甚至龙卷风威胁更广泛的地区。

所有飓风都很危险，但它们的影响程度并不总是相同的。气象学家克里斯·沃伦解释了风暴的规模和强度如何影响社区在飓风登陆前、登陆期间和登陆后所受到的影响。

为了帮助人们做好应对飓风的准备，科学家研究了 40 个热带气旋，发现风暴潮会以八种方式袭击人类。

这对夫妇表示，尽管飓风伊萨亚斯来袭，周末婚礼仍将如期举行。

飓风伊萨亚斯威胁佛罗里达州墨西哥湾沿岸之际，一对夫妇表示，无论如何，他们本周末都将在彭萨科拉结婚。

新郎杰夫·阿克曼周四告诉 CNN 的拉斐尔·罗莫：“我们一定会实现这个愿望。”他还补充说，如有必要，婚礼可以在“后院”或“停车场”举行。

新娘卡西·库珀说，他们原本计划在彭萨科拉举行海滩婚礼，但这场风暴已经迫使他们做出最后的改变。“婚礼仍有可能取消，我们还没有备选方案，”她说。

尽管存在诸多不确定因素，这对新人表示，家人和朋友仍然会前来参加婚礼。“最重要的是我们要结婚了，”库珀说道。

预计伊萨亚斯飓风在登陆前会减弱，但这将扩大其危险性。

预计伊萨亚斯飓风在接近美国海岸时会遭遇强烈的风切变，从而扰乱风暴的进程。这种风切变——即大气不同高度风速或风向的变化——将使伊萨亚斯飓风的路径略微偏离，并将最猛烈的风雨集中在风暴的北侧。

这种不平衡会削弱伊萨亚斯飓风，但也会扩大其飓风的影响范围。

强度较大的风暴往往保持紧凑，就像旋转的滑冰运动员一样。如果你试图让这个滑冰运动员失去平衡，他们会伸出双臂来保持平衡。

这与我们对伊萨亚斯飓风风力的预期基本一致——风力不会局限于中心附近，而是会向外扩散。因此，即使风暴整体强度有所减弱，更多地区也可能受到伊萨亚斯强风的袭击。

伊萨亚斯飓风可能导致内陆地区停电。

伊萨亚斯飓风登陆沿海地区时，势必会造成停电和树木倒塌，但停电范围可能会进一步扩大到东南部的内陆地区。

伊萨亚斯飓风移动速度很快，在登陆前还会不断增强。这两个因素将导致周六阿拉巴马州中部和北部、佐治亚州北部以及密西西比州东北部部分地区出现时速30至50英里的阵风。

这些阵风远不及沿海地区将要遭遇的阵风那么猛烈，但足以造成至少零星的停电，尤其是在阿拉巴马州。

伊萨亚斯飓风可能在周五夜幕降临后引发龙卷风，加剧危险。

周五晚至周六凌晨，佛罗里达州狭长地带、大弯区以及附近的阿拉巴马州南部和佐治亚州西南部可能出现龙卷风。即使飓风“伊萨亚斯”减弱，周六晚间，龙卷风威胁仍可能蔓延至阿拉巴马州东部和佐治亚州内陆地区。

2022年的一项研究发现，夜间龙卷风的致命概率几乎是白天龙卷风的两倍。黑暗使龙卷风更难被发现，熟睡的居民可能会错过预警。

请确保您和您的家人启用手机紧急警报功能，并配备天气收音机或其他可以接收警报并能叫醒您的设备。

预计飓风伊萨亚斯将于本周末登陆。以下是您需要了解的信息。

破纪录的飓风伊萨亚斯正向北逼近墨西哥湾沿岸，强度持续增强。预计这场风暴将于周五晚些时候登陆，成为今年大西洋飓风季的首个飓风。

以下是您应该了解的内容：

预计情况：伊萨亚斯飓风将短暂增强为大型飓风（3 级或更强），然后在周五深夜登陆前减弱一些。

疏散与封锁：官员已要求风暴预测路径上的居民撤离，居民们纷纷加固房屋、装填沙袋并储备物资。包括雪佛龙和壳牌在内的一些能源公司正在关闭部分海上设施的生产并疏散工人。该地区的学校也宣布停课，佛罗里达州的一些机场已提前关闭，连接路易斯安那州新奥尔良和阿拉巴马州莫比尔的美国铁路公司“狂欢节专线”（Amtrak Mardi Gras Service）的所有列车已停运至周日。部分地区已宣布进入紧急状态。

预计威胁：伊萨亚斯飓风预计将给墨西哥湾沿岸带来洪水、危险的风暴潮，甚至可能出现龙卷风。预计其强度将在接近海岸时增强，因此，周六之前，美国东南部大片地区可能出现潮湿多风的天气。伊萨亚斯飓风登陆沿海地区时，也可能导致停电和树木倒塌，但停电范围可能进一步扩大到东南部内陆部分地区。

CNN 的 Briana Waxman、Maria Aguilar Prieto、Mary Gilbert、Chris Dolce、Sara Smart、Rebekah Riess、Brandon Miller、Taylor Ward 和 Kate S. Petersen 也参与了报道。

多个州宣布进入紧急状态

为应对飓风伊萨亚斯登陆，多个地区宣布进入紧急状态。

周二，州长罗恩·德桑蒂斯敦促该州居民制定计划并储备应急物资包。

他在 X 上发帖称，针对 25 个县发布的紧急状态声明“确保社区拥有必要的时间和资源，为佛罗里达州狭长地带和大弯地区可能遭受的恶劣天气影响做好准备”。

佛罗里达州还设有州援助信息热线 (SAIL)，任何需要帮助或信息的人都可以拨打：1-800-342-3557

州长凯·艾维宣布40个县进入紧急状态。她说：“虽然我希望影响降到最低，但我们必须认真做好准备工作。”

根据一份声明，艾维还宣布，周五中午，几个县的州政府办公室和大楼将关闭。

佐治亚州州长布莱恩·坎普周四宣布该州进入紧急状态。坎普在周四的新闻发布会上表示，这项适用于佐治亚州全境的命令允许进行风暴防范准备，并在必要时动员多达500名国民警卫队士兵。

他说：“我们认为我们不需要这个选项，但我们希望保留这个选项，以防风暴及其移动在未来 24 小时左右发生变化，当然，在风暴来袭时也是如此。”

飓风伊萨亚斯如何造就了亚特兰大这壮丽的日落

周四，亚特兰大上空出现了一场壮观的日落。CNN气象学家德里克·范·达姆解释了远在墨西哥湾的飓风伊萨亚斯是如何造就了这一奇观。

以字母“I”开头的风暴破坏力尤其强。原因如下。

伊萨亚斯是臭名昭著的以字母“I”命名的风暴之一。

风暴名称按字母顺序排列，因此“I”代表第九个被命名的风暴——通常形成于9月中旬大西洋飓风季的高峰期，此时各种条件都有利于形成强风暴。自1953年以来，以“I”开头的风暴达到3级或以上强度的频率高于其他任何字母。

2004年的伊万飓风、2017年的艾尔玛飓风、2021年的艾达飓风以及最近的2022年的伊恩飓风，每一场都至少达到四级强度，并在美国登陆。伊恩飓风以每小时150英里的风速袭击了佛罗里达州西南部，造成150人死亡，经济损失超过1120亿美元，成为该州历史上损失最惨重的飓风。

那些造成特别严重伤亡或破坏的风暴，其名称会从官方列表中除名。以字母 I 开头的风暴名称已有 13 个被除名，比其他任何字母都多。

伊萨亚斯飓风于10月6日形成，比通常的“I”级飓风晚了数周，这主要是由于今年的超级厄尔尼诺现象抑制了大西洋的风暴活动。目前预测它将于本周末在墨西哥湾沿岸登陆。

飓风伊萨亚斯于周四下午增强为二级飓风，预计周五晚间登陆前，墨西哥湾北部沿岸地区将面临危险的风暴潮、破坏性大风和暴雨。

这场飓风目前风速达每小时105英里，预计在周四晚间或周五凌晨达到三级“强飓风”强度，风速可达每小时115英里。飓风在接近海岸时可能会减弱，但预计登陆时仍将是一场危险的飓风。

飓风和风暴潮警报已对密西西比州、阿拉巴马州和佛罗里达州的沿海地区生效，预计将在 36 小时内出现 74 英里/小时或更强的风速以及危及生命的沿海洪水，预计这些地区将遭受风暴最严重的袭击。

伊萨亚斯飓风带来的最强降雨将袭击阿拉巴马州南部和佛罗里达州狭长地带，因此预计这些地区将面临最大的山洪暴发威胁。受灾最严重的地区降雨量可能达到4至8英寸，部分地区甚至高达15英寸。

由于风暴移动迅速且地面干燥，东南部其他地区不会出现大范围的突发性洪水，但部分地区仍可能受到严重影响。大部分地区预计降雨量为1至3英寸，但局部地区降雨量可能高达5英寸。

从周五开始，沿海地区将开始出现强降雨，并持续侵袭该地区，周末期间降雨还将逐渐向内陆蔓延。

热带风暴伊萨亚斯逼近海岸线时，周五白天墨西哥湾沿岸可能会出现风速达每小时 39 英里或更强的强风，阵风风速可能更高。

预计周五晚至周六凌晨，飓风伊萨亚斯登陆地区将出现风速74英里/小时或以上的强风。从密西西比州东南部到阿拉巴马州南部以及西部狭长地带，可能出现大范围停电和树木倒塌。

周六，阿拉巴马州中部和北部、佐治亚州北部和西部以及密西西比州东北部部分地区可能出现时速30至50英里的阵风。这足以造成局部或零星停电，并可能导致一些树木倒塌，尤其是在阿拉巴马州。

最危险、最危及生命的风暴潮将出现在风暴中心周五晚登陆点附近及其以东地区。

从密西西比州东部到阿拉巴马州沿海地区，包括莫比尔湾和佛罗里达州西部狭长地带，如果风暴潮峰值出现在高潮时，可能会出现比正常干燥地面高出5到7英尺的洪水。这可能会导致道路被淹，并损坏沿海附近的建筑物。

伊萨亚斯飓风预计将于周五晚至周六在其雨带内产生至少几场龙卷风。风暴中心以东的地区受龙卷风影响的风险最大。热带龙卷风通常持续时间较短，有时会在几乎没有预兆的情况下突然出现。

下图中橙色阴影最深的区域预计面临最大的龙卷风威胁。