(Photo by Anadolu)
FLORIDA, United States – Hurricane Isaias made landfall along the northern US Gulf Coast late Friday, October 9, bringing strong winds, heavy rainfall, and dangerous storm surges that prompted evacuations and widespread power outages.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) said Isaias, the first hurricane of the 2026 Atlantic season, struck near Destin, Florida, at around 8 p.m. local time as a Category 2 hurricane before weakening to Category 1.
More than 610,000 customers in Florida and Alabama lost electricity, according to outage tracking website PowerOutage.us.
Forecasters warned of life-threatening storm surges reaching up to nine feet (2.7 meters) along coastal areas between the Alabama-Florida border and Grayton Beach. Surges of up to six feet (1.8 meters) were also forecast elsewhere along the Florida Panhandle.
Florida, Georgia, and Alabama declared states of emergency, while the Trump administration approved federal emergency declarations for Florida and Alabama.
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey ordered tourists and non-residents in parts of Baldwin and Mobile counties to evacuate immediately. However, officials later announced that the evacuation window had closed as worsening winds made travel unsafe.
The hurricane was expected to weaken into a post-tropical system on Saturday as it moved inland.
Forecasters warned that some coastal communities could receive up to 15 inches (38 centimeters) of rainfall, raising concerns over flash flooding and possible tornadoes.
