After a record-late wait, Isaias has strengthened into a hurricane and could hit the northern US Gulf coast as a Category 2 storm on Friday.
The Atlantic hurricane season has finally got its first named hurricane, and it is heading for the US Gulf coast. Isaias has strengthened into a hurricane with sustained winds of 80mph and a minimum central pressure of 975mb, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Forecasters expect the storm to intensify further into a Category 2 hurricane as it approaches the northern Gulf coast on Friday. Flash flooding is a major concern, and isolated river flooding is also possible in areas that take the heaviest rain.
The timing of this storm is striking. A strong El Niño has suppressed activity across the Atlantic, making this one of the quietest seasons in recent memory. The season's first hurricane has not formed this late since 8 October 1905.
That 1905 comparison comes with a caveat. It dates from before the satellite era of the 1960s, when tracking improved enough to catch many hurricanes that never made landfall. Early 20th-century records likely missed some storms, so the comparison is imperfect, but the lateness is still remarkable.
Residents along the northern Gulf coast should follow official NOAA and local emergency guidance as Isaias nears landfall, since conditions can change quickly as the storm strengthens.
