Isaac picking up strength in the Gulf

(WWLP) - Tropical Storm Isaac is gathering strength as it moves over the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, and could become a hurricane soon.

Isaac made a brush with the Florida Keys , causing heavy rains, high winds, and storm surge. It has since moved into the Gulf, where it could become a Category 1 hurricane as early as Monday afternoon. In order to become a hurricane, the storm must have wind speeds of 74 miles per hour.

Currently, Isaac’s winds are at 65 miles per hour, and the storm is traveling west-north-west at 12 miles per hour.

The slow-moving storm could make landfall anywhere between the New Orleans area and Pensacola, Florida by Tuesday night or Wednesday morning. Hurricane warnings have been posted for that area.

Eerily, on the seventh anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, the storm is following the exact same track as Katrina did. Isaac of course will be much less intense than the massive 2005 storm that caused such widespread devastation.

The 22News Storm Team will continue to track Isaac and will have the latest updates on-air, online, and on the go. You can track Isaac's path yourself with WWLP.com's Tropical Tracker tool.