Hurricane Isaias updates: Isaias strengthens to Category 3

Communities on the U.S. Gulf Coast are preparing for Hurricane Isaias, now a Category 3 hurricane, to make landfall Friday between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m.

Many low-lying and coastal areas, particularly on the Florida Panhandle, are under evacuation orders, with communities preparing for strong winds that could near 120 mph in some locations, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said in a press conference Friday morning.

As of 12 p.m. ET on Friday, Hurricane Isaias had 120 mph max sustained winds and remained a Category 3 hurricane.

Evacuation orders have been issued for several counties in the Florida Panhandle and Alabama as Hurricane Isaias, now a powerful Category 3 storm, inches closer to landfall.

Mobile Regional Airport said in a social media post that no commercial flights will operate after 1 p.m. ET Friday.

Escambia County official warns 'Your time for prep is coming to an end very fast'

Escambia County Public Safety Director Eric Gilmore warned residents of the Northwest Florida county, which includes Pensacola, that time is running out to prepare for Hurricane Isaias.

"Your time for prep is coming to an end very fast," Gilmore said during a press conference Friday morning. "Make sure by this afternoon, by noon today, you're in your safe space."

At 8:20 a.m. ET the National Hurricane Center upgraded Hurricane Isaias to a major Category 3 hurricane.

"The resources have been flowing, the preparations have been extensive, and we are taking this storm very, very seriously," Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said ahead of Hurricane Isaias' landfall.

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