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Isaias makes landfall near Destin as Category 2 hurricane

Isaias crashed into the U.S. Gulf Coast on Friday as a dangerous Category 2 hurricane, hammering communities in Alabama and the Florida Panhandle with damaging winds, heavy rain, flooding and life-threatening storm surges.

The first hurricane of the Atlantic season made landfall near Destin, Florida, the National Hurricane Center said. It had maximum sustained winds of 105 mph. The storm weakened to just below major hurricane status before the eye came ashore, and by early Saturday was no longer considered a hurricane as its wind speeds continued to decrease.

Hurricane-force winds lashed the Gulf shoreline in the low-lying coastal area known for powdery white-sand beaches dotted with vacation homes, waterfront bars, and seafood shacks. Forecasters warned the conditions could also stir up tornadoes across the Florida Panhandle and into southern Georgia.

Roads in Destin were flooded, while in nearby Pensacola, police warned residents to stay off the streets because of debris across roadways. While the extent of the damage was not immediately known, many area residents posted pictures online of downed trees and power lines, and one social media video showed a roof being ripped off an inn in Pensacola.

Parts of southern Alabama also were flooded, with officials in Mobile reporting downed trees and power lines. Roads in Houston County, which is in the southeastern corner of the state, were closed because of similar conditions.

More than 664,000 customers in Florida and Alabama were without power early Saturday, according to poweroutage.com.

In a sign of how serious the warnings are, dozens of Waffle Houses in the Florida Panhandle closed, according to the company’s website. The beloved Southern breakfast chain is known for staying open through severe weather and often serves as a measure of a storm’s severity.

DeSantis warned residents to expect gasoline shortages and bridge and highway closures.

The state’s National Guard deployed about 5,000 soldiers and airmen to help with the response, and search-and-rescue teams were ready to respond, while some prisons evacuated inmates.

Isaias was already slowing after landfall, and it was expected to weaken further and be downgraded to a tropical storm by Saturday afternoon, the center said.

Still, heavy rain is forecast as it moves inland, with 4 to 8 inches or even more expected through the weekend from southern Alabama to southwestern Georgia.

Isaias, the first hurricane to hit the eastern U.S. since Milton tore up the Gulf Coast of Florida in 2024, is also expected to bring heavy rain and potential flooding to much of the Southeast over the weekend, then to parts of the Midwest and Northeast into Monday.


(AP Photo Gerald Herbert)
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