Hurricane Isaias: First Atlantic Hurricane of 2026 Slams Into the US Gulf Coast
A powerful hurricane has slammed into the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico, forcing tens of thousands of people to leave their homes. Hurricane Isaias, the first Atlantic hurricane of 2026, made landfall late Friday with winds of up to 115 miles per hour.
Where the storm hit
The storm came ashore between Mobile, Alabama, and Grayton Beach in the Florida Panhandle, according to the National Hurricane Center. Mississippi, Alabama and the western part of the Florida Panhandle took the hardest hit.
Isaias briefly grew into a Category 3 storm on Friday, which counts as a major hurricane, before weakening slightly to Category 2. Forecasters warned of “dangerous and damaging” winds across the region. People who did not evacuate were told to stay in a safe room and prepare for long power cuts.
The National Hurricane Center said storm surge of up to 9 feet could flood the coast near the Alabama-Florida border. In some areas, up to 15 inches of rain could fall, causing serious flooding. Tornadoes were also possible further inland, and damaging wind gusts were expected as far away as northern Georgia, the southern Appalachians and Tennessee.
Evacuations and disruption
Tens of thousands of people were under mandatory evacuation orders in Florida’s Panhandle and along Alabama’s Gulf Coast. On Friday, roads heading north were packed with cars leaving the area. Earlier in the week, Florida’s governor, Ron DeSantis, had declared a state of emergency for 25 counties.
The storm also hit the oil industry hard. Companies moved workers off 129 production platforms in the Gulf of Mexico, about 35 percent of all staffed platforms. Analysts said more than 11 million barrels of oil production could be lost while the storm passes, which could push up fuel prices.
President Donald Trump canceled a planned trip to Alabama on Saturday, where he was due to watch a college football game in Tuscaloosa.
A record-quiet season
Isaias is the ninth named storm of the season, but the first to become a hurricane. That is unusually late in the year. It nearly broke a 121-year-old record for the latest arrival of the first Atlantic hurricane, a record held since 1905.
Scientists say a strong El Niño weather pattern this year has held hurricanes back. El Niño increases wind shear, which means winds change speed and direction with height. That tears storms apart before they can grow. But once Isaias reached the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, it strengthened fast.
What happens next
The storm is expected to move inland and weaken, but the danger is not over. Heavy rain will keep falling across the Southeast through the weekend, and rivers could rise days after the storm passes. Officials warned people not to return home until they are told it is safe.
Scientists also warn that human-caused climate change has warmed the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, which can make hurricanes stronger and wetter. Even in a quiet season, they say, it only takes one storm to cause serious damage.