Hurricane Isaias intensifies en route to US Gulf Coast

BREAKING: Hurricane Isaias strengthens to a Category 2 as it heads for the US Gulf Coast, with maximum winds of 105 mph. Mandatory evacuations issued in Florida and 63% of Gulf oil production suspended.

Hurricane Isaias is now a Category 2, and it hits the Gulf Coast tonight. Maximum sustained winds of 105 miles an hour, sitting about 230 miles south of the Mississippi River delta, with landfall expected in Florida, Alabama or Mississippi overnight or early Saturday.

Mandatory evacuations are in place across four counties in northeastern Florida, and states of emergency cover parts of Alabama and Georgia. People are boarding up right now, you can see the preparations here. The Hurricane Center is blunt about it, dangerous storm surge, damaging winds, flooding rains, and they say preparations should be rushed to completion. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin says federal teams are coordinating with the states.

The energy market is already feeling it. Offshore platforms have been evacuated, and 63 percent of Gulf oil production is suspended. That's nearly 1.3 million barrels a day off the market, plus more than half the region's gas.

First Atlantic hurricane of the season, and it arrives at full strength tonight.

This is Dave King, reporting for HIT.