Hurricane Isaias, the first hurricane of the Atlantic season, is expected to strengthen when it approaches the northern Gulf Coast on Friday, prompting mandatory evacuations, school closures in parts of Florida and the threat of a life-threatening storm surge, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Isaias is forecast to make landfall within the warning area late Friday or early Saturday, according to the National Weather Service, which warned of damaging hurricane-force winds. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) said Isaias was expected to remain a strong hurricane throughout this period.
It is unclear exactly where Isaias might make landfall. Current models show the center of the storm coming onshore anywhere from eastern Mississippi to the western tip of the Florida Panhandle.
The NWS said residents in portions of the Florida Panhandle, southern Alabama, some parts of Mississippi, including the south, should "prepare for the possibility of long-duration power outages."
The governors of Florida and Alabama declared states of emergency for dozens of counties. Okaloosa County in Florida announced mandatory evacuations for some coastal areas. "Residents should take this storm seriously and evacuate," the county government said in a news release.

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