Hurricane Isaias lashes U.S. Gulf Coast as major Category 3 storm

Hurricane Isaias strengthened into a Category 3 major storm, lashing the U.S. Gulf Coast with wind and rain on Friday ahead of its expected landfall.

The National Hurricane Center warned of a storm surge as high as 6 to 9 feet along with damaging winds, flooding, and potential tornadoes across the Florida Panhandle and Alabama.

The storm is expected to weaken into a tropical storm by Saturday afternoon while bringing heavy rain to southern Alabama, southwestern Georgia, and parts of the Midwest and Northeast.