Isaias Expected To Strengthen Into Hurricane

(AP) – Tropical Storm Isaias has formed off eastern Mexico. Forecasters say it’s expected to strengthen into the first hurricane of the Atlantic season before hitting the U.S. Gulf Coast later in the week. The storm is on track to tie or break a 121-year-old record as the latest first Atlantic hurricane of the season. Isaias was centered Wednesday morning about 255 miles northwest of Progreso, Mexico. The Miami-based National Hurricane Center said the storm had maximum sustained winds of 50 mph. Forecasters predict the storm will become a hurricane on Thursday as it turns northward toward the U.S. Gulf Coast. Landfall is expected late Friday or early Saturday between the Mississippi coast and the Florida Panhandle.