Isaias has strengthened into a Category 3 "major" hurricane ahead of its expected landfall in the United States on Friday evening.

Alabama and Florida declared states of emergency on Thursday as the storm strengthened. These online tracking tools let you stay up to date. Tropical storm Isaias is building momentum in the Gulf and,

Hurricane Isaias got stronger overnight and is expected to make landfall near Pensacola late Friday or early Saturday. It was a Category 2 storm overnight with 105 mph winds and could reach Category 3 strength.

Officials are urging coastal residents from Mississippi to the Florida Panhandle to take the season's first Atlantic hurricane seriously.

The storm arrives at a precarious time for oil markets. Amid strain from the war in Iran, they can’t afford disruptions to production of diesel, the workhorse fuel used by trucks, trains, industry and for heating. A shift westward could bring more offshore production and Gulf Coast energy infrastructure into the storm’s path.

One to 3 inches of rain, with localized amounts up to 5 inches, are possible across much of the Southeast as far north as the Tennessee Valley and the Carolinas, the NHC says. Flash and urban flooding, along with isolated river flooding, will be possible.

A storm brewing off of Mexico is forecast to move into Alabama on Saturday.

Tropical Storm Isaias has formed in the Gulf and is projected to make landfall somewhere along the Gulf Coast in the coming days.

While Hurricane Isaias' path moves toward the northern Gulf Coast, the Georgia-Alabama football game is expected to be affected. But how much?

Pensacola, Florida sits directly in the path of Hurricane Isaias as the storm strengthens into a Category 3 storm. Pensacola Mayor D.C. Reeves joins NBC News NOW to discuss evacuations and warnings issued to residents and tourists as the storm nears.