SuperTalk Mississippi News will provide updates as additional information becomes available.
Hurricane and tropical storm watches have been issued to four counties on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
After a tropical disturbance was upgraded to Tropical Storm Isaias early Wednesday morning, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) issued tropical storm and hurricane watches for parts of southern Mississippi. As of 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Harrison and Jackson Counties are under a hurricane watch, and Hancock and Pearl River are under a tropical storm watch.
The NHC is projecting winds to begin affecting Mississippi starting at 8 a.m. on Friday. According to forecasters’ projections, Isaias is heading toward the Mississippi-Alabama border on a diagonal line, with the bulk of the storm directed at Alabama. Landfall is expected to hit the states’ border sometime around 1 a.m. on Saturday bringing heavy rain and potential flooding.
“Isaias is expected to strengthen into a strong hurricane before approaching the northern Gulf Coast on Friday,” the NHC wrote in an update. “There is an increasing risk of life-threatening storm surge along portions of the Northern Gulf Coast, and a storm surge watch has been issued from the mouth of the Mississippi River to Yankeetown, Fla. Residents in the watch area should follow advice given by officials to evacuate if told to do so.”
The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) is urging residents on the coast to begin preparing for the storm and to monitor the weather as Isaias likely strengthens into a Category 2 hurricane. Additionally, MEMA added that Gulf Coast residents should know and review evacuation zones and routes in case of an emergency.
“The threat is real, and now is the time to prepare,” MEMA Executive Director Stephen McCraney said. “We have seen how quickly tropical systems can impact Mississippi. Tropical Storm Arthur in June brought tremendous amounts of rain, flash flooding, and significant damage.”