Hurricane Isaias becomes Category 3 storm as it threatens northern Gulf Coast

Hurricane Isaias, the first of the 2026 Atlantic season, is expected to approach the northern Gulf Coast later today and reach land tonight or early Saturday, threatening parts of Mississippi, Alabama and the western part of the Florida Panhandle.

Isaias is a Category 2 storm with maximum sustained winds of 105 miles per hour. A hurricane warning is in effect for the coast from Ocean Springs, Mississippi to the Bay/Gulf County Line in Florida. Landfall is expected within the warning area, the National Hurricane Center says.

Map shows hurricane’s path

The core of Isaias, pronounced “ees-ah-EE-ahs,” was about 230 miles south of the mouth of the Mississippi River, moving north-northeast at 14 mph, according to the hurricane center’s latest update early Friday. Hurricane-force winds extended outward up to 25 miles from the storm’s center, and tropical storm-force winds extended outward up to 125 miles.

Forecasters said Isaias could briefly become a major hurricane Friday. A major hurricane is defined as a Category 3 storm or stronger, which means it has maximum sustained winds of 111 mph or greater. 

“Although some weakening is forecast thereafter, Isaias will remain a dangerous hurricane as it approaches the northern Gulf Coast tonight,” the Miami-based center said.

Along with the hurricane warning, a tropical storm warning was issued for the Jefferson/Plaquemines Parish Line in Louisiana to west of Ocean Springs, Mississippi and east of the Bay/Gulf County Line to the Aucilla River in Florida. A storm surge warning was up for the mouth of the Mississippi River to the Suwannee River and a storm surge watch was in effect for the Suwannee River to Yankeetown, Florida.

The hurricane center forecasts 4 to 8 inches of rain and as much as 15 inches in some places along the coast from southern Alabama to the Florida Panhandle and Florida’s Big Bend and southwest Georgia. The center also says 3 to 5 inches, with up to 8 are possible across the coastal Carolinas, and 1 to 3 inches, with localized amounts up to 5, are possible across much of the rest of the Southeast.

In addition, “A risk for tornadoes will begin this evening in coastal areas of Alabama, the Florida Panhandle, and far southwest Georgia,” the center said. “The tornado threat will continue through Saturday for parts of eastern Alabama into Georgia and the Florida Panhandle.”

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said at a Thursday news conference that twisters can occur far from the center of the storm. “Please be on the lookout. Even if you’re way outside the cone, you could still have tornado risks.”

Evacuations underway

Mandatory evacuations have been ordered in parts of Florida’s Okaloosa and Walton counties, which took effect at noon Thursday. 

Voluntary evacuations were in place for coastal spots in southeastern Alabama, with officials in the city of Gulf Shores urging non-residents to leave the area to “help reduce congestion, support emergency operations, and ensure the safety of those who may be most vulnerable during the storm.”

Dauphin Island Mayor Jeff Collier told CBS News that his biggest concern for the coastal Alabama community was whether its residents and visitors would heed official warnings. 

“Because what inevitably happens is people hear the warnings, but they don’t actually take any action until it’s much too late,” Collier said. “And oftentimes if it’s really bad, first responders can’t get out to people until things calm down a bit.”

DeSantis declared a state of emergency for more than two dozen counties in Florida, and Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey issued a state of emergency for 40 counties. Government buildings will close in nine Alabama counties on Friday, Ivey announced. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp also declared a state of emergency.

The U.S. Coast Guard also said it was preparing for Friday’s landfall and urged seafarers near the Gulf to stay informed and remain vigilant leading up to the hurricane’s approach. 

The latest for a first hurricane since 1905

Isaias’ progression into a hurricane on Wednesday marked the latest date in 121 years for the Atlantic season’s first hurricane to develop, just missing a record set on Oct. 8, 1905, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration data. 

The season, which has been unusually quiet in the Atlantic this year, runs from June 1 through Nov. 30.  

An Atlantic hurricane season typically produces, on average, 14 named storms, seven hurricanes and three major hurricanes, according to the hurricane center, which used climate data collected between 1991 and 2020 to calculate those figures. A season’s first named storm normally forms in mid- to late June, while the first hurricane tends to form in early to mid-August, and the first major hurricane often comes in late August or early September.

Forecasters predicted there would be less Atlantic storm activity than usual this year, but so far it has been even quieter than anticipated. Meteorologists say that’s largely due to the onset of a strong El Niño over the summer, which typically correlates with cooler water temperatures and greater fluctuations in wind patterns over the Atlantic, conditions that dampen the growth of tropical systems. The Pacific, meanwhile, has seen an unusually active series of hurricanes.