Hurricane Isaias Hits Florida, Over 610,000 Lose Power
(MENAFN) Hurricane Isaias, the first of the 2026 Atlantic season, struck the northern US Gulf Coast late Friday, bringing destructive winds and heavy rain to the Southeast.
The National Hurricane Center said the storm made landfall near Destin, Florida, around 8 pm local time (0000GMT) as a Category 2 hurricane before weakening to Category 1. More than 610,000 customers in Florida and Alabama were without power, according to PowerOutage.us.
Forecasters warned of life-threatening storm surge of up to 9 feet (2.7 meters) from the Alabama-Florida border to Grayton Beach, and up to 6 feet (1.8 meters) elsewhere on the Florida Panhandle.
Florida, Georgia and Alabama declared states of emergency, and the Trump administration approved federal emergency declarations for Florida and Alabama. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey ordered tourists and non-residents in parts of Baldwin and Mobile counties to leave immediately, though officials said the evacuation window later closed because winds were too strong.
The storm is expected to weaken to a post-tropical system Saturday as it moves inland, with up to 15 inches (38 centimeters) of rain in some coastal areas and a tornado risk.
The National Hurricane Center said the storm made landfall near Destin, Florida, around 8 pm local time (0000GMT) as a Category 2 hurricane before weakening to Category 1. More than 610,000 customers in Florida and Alabama were without power, according to PowerOutage.us.
Forecasters warned of life-threatening storm surge of up to 9 feet (2.7 meters) from the Alabama-Florida border to Grayton Beach, and up to 6 feet (1.8 meters) elsewhere on the Florida Panhandle.
Florida, Georgia and Alabama declared states of emergency, and the Trump administration approved federal emergency declarations for Florida and Alabama. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey ordered tourists and non-residents in parts of Baldwin and Mobile counties to leave immediately, though officials said the evacuation window later closed because winds were too strong.
The storm is expected to weaken to a post-tropical system Saturday as it moves inland, with up to 15 inches (38 centimeters) of rain in some coastal areas and a tornado risk.
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