They should be preparing and stay safe….
People living along the Gulf Coast filled sandbags, bought gasoline and boarded up buildings on Friday, as Hurricane Isaias barreled northward on track to make landfall in the evening.
The National Hurricane Center said the storm’s winds had reached a maximum sustained speed of 120 miles per hour on Friday morning, making it a Category 3 storm. It was moving north and its eye was expected to come ashore along the western Florida Panhandle, somewhere between Gulf Shores, Ala., and Destin, Fla.
Forecasters warned that life-threatening storm surge and devastating winds were likely along the coast. Officials have issued mandatory evacuation orders along parts of the northwest Florida coast, and visitors in parts of coastal Alabama have also been asked to leave.
It has been two years since a hurricane struck the mainland United States — Milton, in 2024, was the last one — and longer still since one hit southern Alabama or the Florida Panhandle, the area of the Gulf Coast where Isaias is forecast to strike.
The storm is also the first Atlantic hurricane of the 2026 season, which has been relatively quiet in part because of the influence of a powerful El Niño.
Here’s what we’re covering:
-
Up, up and away: Meteorologists release hydrogen-filled balloons into the atmosphere that feed them data that helps track the direction and strength of impending storms. Read more >
-
Change of plans: For the towns along Alabama’s coast, early October usually means preparing for the National Shrimp Festival. Not this year. Restaurants are boarded up and hotel windows are shuttered as the hurricane approaches. Read more >
-
Name debate: Republican officials in Florida including Gov. Ron DeSantis are not thrilled with the name Hurricane Isaias, a Spanish version of Isaiah, though the same name was used for a storm six years ago. Read more >
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.