How potential hurricane Isaias could impact Alabama

The National Weather Service officially designated the current storm in the Gulf as Tropical Storm Isaias. And it’s expected to strengthen before making landfall later this week.

The latest forecast suggests the storm could strengthen into a hurricane by Thursday morning with landfall projected for Friday night.

A Storm Surge Watch and a Hurricane Watch has been issued for the Alabama coast but the storm will likely bring plenty of rain to the entire state by Saturday evening.

Keep reading to see more on the latest information from the National Hurricane Center + see how events across Alabama are preparing to deal with the weather.

Tropical Storm Isaias expected to impact Alabama

The forecasted storm is expected to have a large impact on Mobile Bay with flash flooding possible starting Friday night.

“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 for the Mouth of the Mississippi River to Yankeetown Florida. Residents in the watch area should follow advice given by local officials and evacuate if told to do so.”
National Hurricane Center

If the storm remains a hurricane at landfall, there’s a chance it could be a Category 2-3 storm which would also bring damaging winds to the cities along the coast. The National Weather Service of Mobile said residents should prepare for the possibility of long-duration power outages.

Make sure to follow the National Weather Service for more updates as the storm gets closer:

Events across Alabama planning for heavy rainfall

The National Weather Service said Isaias will “bring heavy rainfall to the central US Gulf coast and much of the Southeast Friday into the weekend.” So the impact will likely not just be isolated to the coast.

Several events have already canceled their plans for the weekend including the National Shrimp Festival and the Great Alabama 650.

There are also three college football games slated to be played in the state on Saturday.

Alabama A&M is still expected to host Bethune at 6PM on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Alabama State has announced it is moving its homecoming game against Florida A&M to Friday, Oct. 9 at 11AM. Other homecoming events will be rescheduled with more details coming at a later date.

College Gameday is still expected to be in Tuscaloosa for this weekend’s big game but don’t be surprised if adjustments have to be made to the morning show due to the weather.