Hurricane Isaias: Storm upgraded to Category 3 (Live updates)

The National Hurricane Center says Hurricane Isaias is strengthening and is expected to make landfall late Friday or early Saturday morning. The hurricane is the first of the Atlantic season. Read more trending newsGaining strengthUpdate 8:30 a.m. ET, Oct. 9: Hurricane Isaias strengthened on Friday morning and was upgraded to a Category 3 with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph.7:20 AM CDT Friday Oct 9 Update: Isaias becomes a major hurricane. Data from an Air Force Reserve hurricane hunter aircraft indicate that the maximum sustained winds have increased to 120 mph. Isaias is now a category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.… pic.twitter.com/kyhpZDCNXQ National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) October 9, 2026Original report: The New York Times said Friday morning that the storm was nearing a Category 3 and showed little sign of weakening. CNN noted that the eye of the storm formed late Thursday.Hurricane safety: What are hurricane categories and what do they me