Isaias strengthens to Category 2 as Georgia declares a statewide emergency

Hurricane Isaias kept gaining power Thursday and is now a Category 2 hurricane aimed at the central Gulf Coast, where landfall is expected Friday evening. Three states declared emergencies as coastal cities ordered evacuations and residents stripped store shelves.

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp issued a state of emergency for all 159 counties on Thursday and activated the state operations center, with up to 500 National Guard troops authorized if conditions worsen. Kemp urged Georgians to take the storm seriously and prepare for impacts Friday night through Saturday: stock food, water, batteries and flashlights, and keep weather alerts audible overnight. Alabama Governor Kay Ivey issued her own emergency declaration, and Florida did the same.

The National Hurricane Center said additional strengthening is expected through early Friday. Category 2 storms carry sustained winds of 96 to 110 miles per hour and can cause extensive damage. Isaias is currently tracking toward the Alabama Florida border. Residents near the Florida Alabama state line stood in long lines for sandbags Thursday while grocery shelves emptied.

Georgia will feel it even though the center tracks west of the state. The National Weather Service in Charleston warned that Savannah and surrounding areas could see 2 to 4 inches of rain starting Friday and running through the weekend, with locally higher amounts above 6 inches possible, plus tornadoes, flash flooding and downed trees and power lines. The ground is already saturated from last week's rain, and high tides from the new moon could worsen coastal flooding.

Isaias is already historic. AccuWeather confirmed it broke the record for the latest forming first Atlantic hurricane, beating the 1905 mark by three and a half hours, in a season suppressed by El Nino. Forecasters say it will not hit like Helene: this is a less powerful, faster moving system that will not sit over inland areas for days. After landfall late Friday into early Saturday, Isaias will spend the weekend carrying gusty winds and heavy rain up the East Coast as far as the Northeast.