Isaias strikes Florida as Category 2

Hurricane Isaias made landfall near Destin, Florida, at about eight thirty pm CT on Friday, October 9, 2026, as a dangerous Category 2 storm with winds up to one hundred five miles per hour.

Storm weakens after crossing coast

After landfall, Isaias weakened to a Category 1 storm with maximum winds at ninety miles per hour as it moved north over the western Florida Panhandle on Friday night.

Dangerous storm surge threatens coast

Storm surge of five to seven feet is possible from Dauphin Island and Gulf Shores, Alabama, to Pensacola, Miramar Beach, Laguna Beach, Panama City, Destin, Mexico Beach and Port St. Joe, Florida.

Extreme rainfall expected inland

Rainfall totals of four to eight inches, with isolated maximum amounts of up to fifteen inches, are possible across southern Alabama, the Florida Panhandle and the Big Bend region of Florida.

DeSantis warns of evacuation importance

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said the surge is what puts people's lives in jeopardy if they have not heeded evacuation orders, telling residents to run from the water.

“The surge is really what puts people's lives in jeopardy if they haven't heeded evacuation orders. We always say: You hide from the wind, but you run from the water.”

Extended power outages expected

Power outages are expected to last for an extended period, particularly in the Florida Panhandle. Governor DeSantis said Floridians should assume they will lose power and prepare for seventy two hours.

Emergency response mobilizes statewide

The Florida National Guard, Florida Department of Health, Florida Department of Transportation and other emergency response teams have mobilized in preparation for power outages, rescues and evacuations.

Isaias downgraded to post-tropical

On Saturday, the National Hurricane Center declared Isaias a post-tropical cyclone, a system that no longer possesses characteristics of a tropical system.