Hurricane Isaias strengthens to Category 2 ahead of Gulf Coast landfall

Isaias became a Category 2 hurricane with 100 mph winds in the National Hurricane Center's 5 p.m. Eastern advisory on Thursday. Landfall is expected late Friday or early Saturday near the Alabama-Florida border, with 5 to 7 feet of storm surge forecast for Mobile Bay and parts of the Florida Panhandle. Florida and Alabama have declared states of emergency, and parts of Dauphin Island, Alabama, and Okaloosa County, Florida, are under mandatory evacuation.