Hurricane Isaias could become major Cat. 3 storm before landfall on northern Gulf Coast

Hurricane Isaias remains a strong Category 2 hurricane Friday morning and is forecast to strengthen into a major Category 3 hurricane over the next 12 hours before weakening ahead of landfall, according to the latest forecast track.The storm is expected to make landfall somewhere between Biloxi, Mississippi, and Destin, Florida, with the most likely window between 8 p.m. Friday and midnight.Storm surge of 5 to 7 feet is possible along portions of the Gulf Coast between Mobile Bay and Fort Walton Beach, raising concerns for coastal flooding in vulnerable areas.Strong winds are also expected to be a major impact along the coast as Isaias moves quickly toward landfall. The storm’s forward speed could help limit overall rainfall totals, but heavy rain is still expected to bring the threat of isolated flooding.The latest forecast calls for heavy rain Saturday, particularly along the stretch of coast between Pensacola and Panama City. Despite the storm’s fast movement, isolated flooding rema