Hurricane Isaias was upgraded to a Category 3 storm Friday morning.
Communities on the U.S. Gulf Coast are preparing for Hurricane Isaias, now a Category 3 hurricane, to make landfall Friday between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m.
A hurricane warning is currently in effect from just east of Biloxi, Mississippi, through Mobile and Pensacola to Panama City and Mexico Beach, Florida.
Many low-lying and coastal areas, particularly on the Florida Panhandle, are under evacuation orders, with communities preparing for strong winds that could near 120 mph in some locations, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said in a press conference Friday morning.
Storm surge warnings are also in place along the coast, with surges forecast to reach up to 9 feet from the Santa Rosa/Okaloosa County Line, Florida, to Grayton Beach, Florida.
As of 7 p.m. ET on Friday, Hurricane Isaias had 115 mph max sustained winds and remained a Category 3 hurricane.
The hurricane was 55 miles south of Pensacola, Florida, moving north at 18 mph.
An extreme wind warning has been issued for portions of the western Florida Panhandle, as the eyewall of Hurricane Isaias approaches the coast.
"This is an extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation!" the National Weather Service warned.
An 81 mph wind gust was reported earlier this evening in the Gulf northeast of the hurricane's center, the NWS said.
More than 120,000 customers are without power across five states in the hurricane zone -- Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Georgia.
Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport in Panama City, Florida ceased all commercial operations as of 1 p.m. CT Friday, according to a social media post.
Conditions are "rapidly deteriorating along the northern Gulf Coast," according to a 4 p.m. ET update from the NHC, as Hurricane Isaias moves toward landfall.
Hurricane warnings are in place from east of Biloxi, Mississippi, to Panama City, Florida, and tornado watch is in place from Pensacola, Florida, to Tallahassee, Florida.
