Hurricane Isaias made landfall near Destin, Florida, on Friday evening as a Category 2 storm with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm struck the western Florida Panhandle after strengthening into a major Category 3 hurricane earlier in the day, prompting emergency declarations across four states.
The National Weather Service reported wind gusts as high as 116 mph in the Florida Panhandle as the eyewall moved onshore. The landfall marked the first hurricane to strike the Atlantic basin in the 2026 season, which had set a record for the latest first hurricane in the satellite era.
Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia each issued states of emergency ahead of the storm. Mandatory evacuation orders were implemented for coastal communities in the Florida Panhandle and coastal Alabama, with officials urging residents to leave immediately.
“DO NOT WAIT! Get out NOW!” Florida Senator Rick Scott said in a social media post, encouraging residents in designated areas to evacuate as soon as possible .
President Donald Trump approved federal emergency declarations for both Florida and Alabama. The Florida declaration covers 27 counties, including Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, and Walton, while the Alabama declaration covers Mobile, Baldwin, and Escambia counties along with the Poarch Band of Creek Indians .
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey declared a state of emergency in 40 of the state’s 67 counties on Wednesday, ahead of the storm’s approach. “While I hope for minimal impacts, we must take preparations seriously,” Ivey said in a statement .
The National Hurricane Center issued a Storm Surge Warning from the Mouth of the Mississippi River to Steinhatchee, Florida, with forecasts calling for 5 to 7 feet of inundation above normally dry ground in coastal areas. Hurricane warnings were in effect from Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, to Indian Pass, Florida .
Forecasters warned that the storm could produce 4 to 8 inches of rainfall, with isolated totals reaching 15 inches across parts of the Florida Panhandle, southern Alabama, and southwest Georgia. The heavy rain posed a risk of life-threatening flash flooding well inland.
The National Weather Service issued an Extreme Wind Warning for parts of the Florida Panhandle as the eyewall approached. A flash flood emergency was issued for areas in and around Destin.
Video shared on social media showed towering waves crashing over beaches in Pensacola Beach, Destin, Fort Walton Beach, and Navarre Beach. Local authorities closed beaches and urged residents to stay indoors as conditions rapidly deteriorated .
Governor Kay Ivey’s office confirmed that Alabama would receive federal disaster assistance for areas affected by the storm. “Thank you, President Trump, for standing with Alabama as we prepare for potential impact from Hurricane Isaias,” Ivey stated. “This emergency declaration will help cut tape for our federal partners to aid in any response” .
The Florida Division of Emergency Management partnered with Uber to provide free rides to shelters, offering round-trip transportation up to $40 each way. The agency also advised residents to take photos of damage and flooding high-water marks .
More than 858,000 homes and businesses were without power across the Southeast as of Saturday morning, according to PowerOutage.us. Florida reported 436,147 outages, Alabama had 297,684, and Georgia had 95,162 .
Oil companies halted production at several offshore facilities ahead of the storm. Chevron shut down production at four Gulf facilities and evacuated all associated personnel. Shell halted production and evacuated workers at its Mars, Olympus, Ursa, Vito, and Appomattox platforms .
Gulf Shores officials asked all non-residents to leave ahead of the storm. The city was hosting the annual National Shrimp Festival, which was canceled due to the hurricane. Grant Brown, a public information officer for the City of Gulf Shores, said the city’s normal population of about 18,000 had swelled to more than 50,000 due to the festival .
Hurricane Isaias set a record as the latest first hurricane of the Atlantic season in the satellite era. The storm was upgraded to hurricane status late Wednesday night, nearly a month later than the previous record-long wait. The 2026 season had no hurricanes through September, which is typically the peak of hurricane season .
The storm’s rapid intensification from a tropical storm to a major hurricane occurred over a 24-hour period. The National Hurricane Center reported that Isaias strengthened despite encountering moderate westerly vertical wind shear, with sea surface temperatures of 30 degrees Celsius providing favorable conditions for development .
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As of Saturday morning, Isaias was located about 100 miles south of Birmingham, Alabama, moving north at 14 mph. The storm was forecast to move through the center of Alabama before drifting northeast into the Appalachians on Sunday. Heavy rain was ongoing from Alabama to the Carolinas, with a flood threat expected to spread to the mid-Atlantic .
