US Florida Extreme Weather Isaias
People sit outside an evacuation shelter as Hurricane Isaias approaches Pensacola, Fla., Friday, Oct. 9, 2026.
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Isaias is surging toward the U.S. Gulf Coast as a powerful Category 3 hurricane. The first hurricane of the Atlantic season is expected to make landfall Friday night near the Alabama-Florida state line. The National Hurricane Center says Isaias’ maximum sustained winds are 115 mph, and parts of the coast are already being lashed by tropical storm-force winds. Many coastal residents have opted to ride out the storm at home, and they've been preparing for strong winds, heavy rain and potentially life-threatening storm surges in the Florida Panhandle, southern Alabama and southern Mississippi. Heavy rain and flooding are possible into the weekend as far north as Tennessee and North Carolina.
Isaias has strengthened into a major hurricane as it heads toward the U.S. Gulf Coast. Final preparations are underway for potentially life-threatening storm surge and high winds. Meanwhile, Hurricane Simon is moving toward Mexico’s Pacific coast and has strengthened into a Category 2 storm. Simon is forecast to become a major hurricane by late Friday and strengthen further on Saturday. Tropical storm activity has been above average this season in the Pacific due to a strong El Niño. In the Atlantic, El Niño’s winds and the Gulf of Mexico’s warm waters are affecting Isaias's strength.
