Hurricane Isaias downgraded after making landfall in Florida
Hurricane Isaias downgraded after making landfall in Florida
Hafsa Khalil; Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu; Nardine Saad Sat, October 10, 2026 at 12:50 PM UTC
0
Hurricane Isaias has been downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone the day after it made landfall along the northern Gulf Coast of Florida, bringing with it heavy rains and powerful winds.
Isaias - which is the first of the 2026 Atlantic season - is still surging across south-eastern parts of the US.
Hundreds of thousands of households in Florida, Alabama and Georgia are without power, and each state has issued a state of emergency. There are currently no warnings in places after they ended on Saturday.
Isaias is one of three storm systems affecting North America this weekend, with the two others hitting Mexico and Southern California in the El Niño fuelled warm waters of the Pacific Ocean.
Follow live updates
Both Florida and Alabama instituted mandatory evacuations to thousands of people due to the storm.
In Florida, those evacuations included coastal communities in direct aim of the powerful storm. Senator Rick Scott encouraged residents in designated areas to evacuate as soon as possible, as he warned in a social media post: "DO NOT WAIT! Get out NOW!"
Governor of Alabama Kay Ivey issued a mandatory evacuation for all non-residents, tourists and visitors in key counties likely to be heavily affected by the storm.
On Saturday, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the US president had approved emergency declarations for the two states to "ensure federal resources are available" for support.
Hurricane Isaias is the first hurricane in the Atlantic's hurricane season, which largely has been delayed due to El Niño conditions in the Pacific.
It marks the first time in more than 30 years that a hurricane did not form before October.
Ahead of the storm, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) warnedit was likely to bring "life-threatening storm surge" to the US Gulf Coast.
All warnings pertaining to Isaiashad been discontinued on Saturday morning, the NHC said.
The post-tropical cyclone is currently moving north and is expected to cross Alabama and into the Tennessee Valley later on Saturday and Sunday, according to the National Weather Service.
Hurricane-force winds on Friday eveningextended outward up to 35 miles (55 km) from Isaias' centre, and tropical storm-force winds extended as far as 205 miles (335 km).
However, hundreds of thousands are currently without power in the country's southeast - and Alabama, Florida and Georgia have issued states of emergency as they brace for heavy rains and flooding.
On Saturday morning,more than 400,000 werein the dark in Florida andjust over 300,000 customers in Alabama wereexperiencing outages, according to PowerOutage.us. In Georgia, more than 100,000 customers were without power.
Advertisement
Ahead of the hurricane, PensacolaresidentJohn Guoth, told the BBC that he and his wife would remain at home despite the rest of his street having already left.
"It's a hurricane, we get them all the time... we kind of knew that when we moved here," he said, explaining that they have "battened down" anything that "can fly".
Guoth said he put his ducks and chickens in the bathroom and weighed down his boats and trailers so "nothing flips over".
A few households remained in the area, describing themselves as "long-term locals" who are "going to protect our homes".
People in the Florida city who had "seen bad storms before" were still "bunkering up", Brandin Ruth said. She told the BBC: "You don't want to underestimate a storm like this".
Two men in Gulf Breeze, Florida board up the windows of a shop as Hurricane Isaias approaches
One indicator of a storm's severity to southern communities was Friday's closure of stalwart restaurant chain, The Waffle House.
A Waffle House spokesperson confirmed to the BBC that the chain had already closed a number of locations in the hurricane's path and "will continue monitoring conditions".
US President Donald Trump also cancelled plans to attenda major American football college game in Tuscaloosa, Alabama because of the hurricane, shifting plans to attend a rally in Tennessee instead.
People in Newport Beach, California walk near coastal floodwaters generated by Tropical Storm Rachel
Two other storms are also forecast to batter North America this weekend.
Hurricane Simon is bearing down on the Pacific coast of Mexico as a category one hurricane. It is set to pick up speed and become category four by Saturday, eventually making landfall near Puerto Vallarta on Sunday, according to Reuters.
Further north, Tropical Storm Rachel, a downgraded hurricane, is heading toward landfall around the US-Mexico border, along the Pacific.
While, Rachel is expected to reach the coast late on Saturday, the impact of the storm is already being felt due to high tides in southern California.
Video footage and photos show several streets under water in Newport Beach, California, through a combination of the tropical storm swells at sea and high tide.
Posting on its account on X, the City of Newport Beach advised people to "avoid the Balboa Peninsula due to street flooding caused by recent storm conditions and elevated tides".
It also urged people not to drive through flooded streets. Bulldozers have been shoring up the beach to try and prevent further flooding.
With additional reporting by Simon King and Matt Taylor, BBC Weather
Could El Niño mean there are no Atlantic hurricanes this year?
Source: “AOL Breaking”
