Hurricane live coverage: Isaias becomes Category 3 storm as it gains strength and nears the Gulf Coast

Isaias was upgraded to a Category 3 storm, early Friday, the National Hurricane Center said in its latest update. Data showed maximum sustained winds of 120 mph, making it now "a major hurricane," it added.

Hurricane Simon is rapidly intensifying off Mexico’s Pacific coast with maximum sustained winds that have quickly increased to near 90 mph (150 kilometers per hour), the National Hurricane Center said today.

Simon is forecast to become a dangerous Category 4 hurricane by tomorrow, when it is expected to approach the popular tourist coast of southwestern and west-central Mexico, the agency added.

Isaias is continuing to gain strength early today, with sustained winds reaching 110 mph (175 kilometers per hour) pushing it closer to Category 3, according to a National Hurricane Center update.

“Preparations should be rushed to completion as the weather will go downhill quickly today,” the statement said.

“Isaias is likely to become a major hurricane this morning. Slight weakening is expected before landfall, but it is expected to remain a dangerous hurricane,” it added.

This year marked the first time in 75 years that there hadn’t been a hurricane in the Atlantic Ocean by late September.

Hurricane Isaias is the first of the 2026 season, which was already predicted to be less active than normal.

National Weather Service forecasters in May put the chance of a below-normal season at 55%, and in August increased that to 75%.

The most recent forecast predicts seven to 13 named storms, of which two to six could become hurricanes, and that of those hurricanes, zero to two could reach “major” stage (meaning Category 3 or more).

An average season is 14 named storms, seven hurricanes and three major hurricanes, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says.

Isaias is the ninth named storm in the Atlantic this year. All the rest have been tropical storms, and most of those have been in mid-August through September.

Last year, the first hurricane, Erin, was in August. The Category 5 storm formed near Cape Verde and did not hit the U.S.

The Atlantic hurricane season is from June 1 to Nov. 30.

Isaias, headed toward a landfall on the Gulf Coast tonight or early tomorrow, is the first hurricane of the 2026 Atlantic season — a later arrival than in some other years.

Meanwhile in the eastern and central Pacific, things have been more active, with hurricanes that affected Hawaii including Lala in August, which killed 2 people; Lowell, which damaged Kauai after it passed close to Niihau; and Nolo, which passed south of Hawaii.

The first hurricane in the eastern Pacific this season, Hurricane Fausto, formed in mid-July.

NOAA had also predicted an above-average eastern Pacific hurricane season, which runs from May 15 through Nov. 30, with a 70% chance of a season that is more active than normal.

Phil Klotzbach, a Colorado State University scientist, said in late September that the change in the typical patterns was due to an El Niño system.

El Niño is a natural climate pattern characterized by a rise in sea surface temperatures in the eastern Pacific Ocean, which happens when winds near the equator weaken and the upwelling of cold water to the surface stalls.