Hurricane Isaias expected to strengthen before hitting Gulf Coast

Isaias became the first hurricane of the Atlantic season on Thursday, as it headed towards the U.S. Gulf Coast, bringing evacuation warnings and the possibility of a life-threatening storm surge along the coast.Isaias is expected to strengthen and make landfall late Friday or early Saturday, according to the National Weather Service, which warned of damaging hurricane-force winds and a life-threatening storm surge.The National Hurricane Center (NHC) said Isaias was expected to remain a strong hu