Hurricane Isaias threatens catastrophic destruction as Gulf Coast residents are ordered to evacuate before landfall tonight: Live updates

Category three Hurricane Isaias is expected to make landfall at 7pm tonight as strong winds and storm surges lash the Gulf Coast. Federal forecasters predict Isaias to hit Pensacola, Florida , with life-threatening conditions extending from New Orleans to Tallahassee. Mandatory evacuation orders have been issued for dozens of coastal counties in Alabama and Florida as the storm brings damaging winds, floods and a chance of tornadoes in the Southeast. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) said: 'Just-received data from an Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft indicate that Isaias has strengthened to a major hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph.' Isaias is the first of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season and is forecasted to be the first to strike the US since Hurricane Milton in 2024. Follow the Daily Mail for more updates... Hurricane Isaias intensifies Category 3 storm as emergency evacuations ordered and Gulf Coast braces for devastation Hurricane Isaias intensified into a powerful Category 3 storm Friday morning as it barrels toward the US. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) said: 'Just-received data from an Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft indicate that Isaias has strengthened to a major hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph.' Hurricane warnings are in effect for parts of Florida, Alabama and Mississippi as Isaias approaches, threatening damaging winds, flooding and widespread power outages. Louisiana is under tropical storm and storm surge warnings. Mandatory evacuation orders have been issued for dozens of coastal counties in Alabama and Florida. Explore more Hurricane Isaias surges to Category 3 as evacuations ordered in US Hurricane Isaias has rapidly intensified overnight, exploding into a Category 3. Mandatory evacuations have been ordered. Share 16:11 The threat of Isaias will reach the Northeast Hurricane Isaias will bring threats far beyond the Gulf Coast as it moves inland and northeast through the weekend. Much of the Southeast, Mid-Atlantic and coastal Carolinas could see 2 to 5 inches of rain, with isolated totals reaching 10 inches, particularly in the Southern Appalachians. The downpours could trigger flash flooding. Georgia and the Carolinas also face a risk of tornadoes through Saturday, while dangerous surf, strong rip currents and rising coastal water levels could affect the Atlantic coastline. Share 16:00 Almost $72billion in commercial property could be damaged due to Isaias Analytics experts predict that $71.billion of commercial properties across Alabama, Florida and Mississippi could face damage as a result of Hurricane Isaias' winds and rain. 'While these projections do not predict the losses or damages Isaias will ultimately cause, they do provide an initial sense of the scope of the commercial real estate value in the storm’s path,' Moody Analytics noted. Almost half of the buildings are multi-family residential properties, with retail buildings also at risk. Share 15:39 Flights cancel and airports close in Florida Pensacola International Airport terminal closed operations at 11am ET today in preparation for Isaias. Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport closed at 10pm ET on Thursday. At least 150 flights out of the airports have been canceled, accounting for the majority of flights canceled nationwide on Friday morning according to FlightAware. Share 15:36 WATCH: Gulf Coast residents brace themselves for Hurricane Isaias Share 15:16 Florida Gov Ron DeSantis refuses to call the hurricane 'Isaias' Isaias, which is pronounced 'ee-sah-EE-ahs,' is the Spanish form of the name Isaiah, and appears to have struck a nerve with Florida's governor. Ron DeSantis said he will not call the life-threatening hurricane by that name and will refer to it as Isaiah. 'I don’t know how to pronounce this, because it’s not normal,” DeSantis said Thursday. 'I’m calling it Isaiah. You guys can call it what you want. I know that’s not how you pronounce this. 'It’s something else, but it’s weird, and I’m just going to keep butchering it for the next 72 hours. And I’d rather just be that - so I’m calling it Isaiah.' Share 14:58 America's military evacuates the US Gulf Coast The US Air Force began evacuating stealth fighters, gunships and special operations planes from Florida bases. Some aircraft were in the air on Thursday morning, a spokesperson for Tyndall Air Force Base said, but the situation remained 'fluid,' and it was unclear how many would ultimately fly out. The wing declined to say where the planes were going, citing operational security concerns. Flight data also captured a fleet of Navy aircraft fleeing the area. Reports showed evacuations from Naval Air Station Pensacola and Naval Air Station Whiting Field toward safer locations in Texas and Arkansas. Aircraft also appeared to be launching from Eglin Air Force Base as bases moved planes out of the storm’s path. Share 14:47 A wedding party celebrates a day before the arrival of Hurricane Isaias in Orange Beach, Alabama Share 14:42 A look at Hurricane Isaias’ projected path ahead of landfall Share 14:28 Governor Ron DeSantis tells Florida residents to heed caution with storm surges Florida governor Ron DeSantis urged residents to take caution as the state prepares for Isaias to hit, particularly with storm surges threatening infrastructure. 'I've been doing these storms for a number of years now. I can tell you that is you have a category three storm come to the panhandle, most of the structures that have been built this century can withstand the wind damage,' he said. 'But, the surge is really what put people's lives in jeopardy if they haven't heeded the evacuation orders and does the most significant damage. 'Please take caution of that. We always say you hide from the wind, but you run from the water.' Share 14:05 Storm surge will cause coastlines to see several feet of flooding One of the biggest threats of Hurricane Isaias is storm surge - or seawater pushed inland by the hurricane’s winds. Water could rise 6 to 9 feet above normally dry ground in vulnerable coastal areas between the Alabama-Florida border and Grayton Beach, Florida, if the strongest surge coincides with high tide. Large, dangerous waves could make the flooding even more destructive. Parts of the Louisiana and Mississippi coastline, along with Mobile Bay, could see 3 to 5 feet of flooding above ground. Share 13:42 Isaias the first US hurricane to make landfall in two years Isaias is the first hurricane to make US landfall since Hurricane Milton in 2024. Milton made landfall on the west coast of Florida, almost two years to the day. A Category 3 storm, Milton sustained 120mph winds and killed at least 45 people, according to the National Hurricane Center and disaster agencies. Share