Updated at 12:20 p.m. ET: Isaac finally reached hurricane strength on Tuesday, closing in on the Louisiana-Mississippi coast as a slow-moving giant of a system expected to make landfall Tuesday night or early Wednesday.
President Barack Obama added his voice to those of local officials urging residents to hunker down or evacuate if told to do so. “Now’s not the time to tempt fate,” he said in brief comments. “Listen to your local officials and follow their directions, including if they tell you to evacuate.”
At 12:20 p.m. ET, Isaac had 75 mph sustained winds, a mile above the speed needed for a Category 1 hurricane.
National Hurricane Center Director Rick Knabb said “rain bands will become more frequent and more potent” along the northern Gulf of Mexico coast as the day goes on.
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