Hurricane Isaias is expected to get stronger on its way to Florida,
Alabama and Mississippi coasts
[October 08, 2026]
By R.J. RICO, DAVE COLLINS and HALLIE GOLDEN
Isaias surged toward the U.S. Gulf Coast on Thursday as the first
hurricane of the Atlantic season, prompting mandatory evacuations and
school closures in parts of Florida.
Isaias was forecast to intensify rapidly and bring strong winds and a
life-threatening storm surge to the Florida Panhandle, southern Alabama
and southern Mississippi when it makes landfall on the northern Gulf
Coast late Friday or early Saturday. Heavy rain with the risk of
flooding was possible into the weekend as far inland as the Tennessee
Valley.
The hurricane had maximum sustained winds around 80 mph (129 kph) and
was moving east-northeast at 9 mph (15 kph) early Thursday morning, the
National Hurricane Center in Miami said. It was centered about 420 miles
(676 kilometers) south-southwest of the mouth of the Mississippi River.
Coastal communities moved quickly to prepare. Some Gulf oil wells paused
production, and at least four Florida school districts canceled classes
for later in the week while Okaloosa County announced mandatory
evacuations for some coastal areas. Governors in Florida and Alabama
declared a state of emergency for dozens of counties.
The National Weather Service told communities from Ocean Springs,
Mississippi, to Gulf County, Florida, to prepare for the possibility of
“long-duration power outages.”
The hurricane formed late in the season
Isaias developed more than four months into the Atlantic hurricane
season and was short by one day of tying a 121-year-old record for the
area’s latest-forming hurricane. According to the National Weather
Service, the record dates to 1905, when the year’s first Atlantic
hurricane formed on Oct. 8.
The Atlantic hurricane season has been unusually quiet this year because
of a strong El Niño, which disrupts storm formation over that ocean.
Storm activity has been above average in the Pacific, where Tropical
Storm Simon formed Wednesday off Mexico.
Isaias is expected to strike a swath of coastline that’s familiar with
major hurricanes.
One of the 20th century’s worst storms, Hurricane Camille, killed more
than 250 people after hitting land near Waveland, Mississippi, in 1969.
Hurricane Katrina in 2005 razed neighborhoods in Mississippi, flooded
New Orleans and killed nearly 1,400 people. And Hurricane Michael
leveled homes and buildings near Panama City, Florida, in 2018.
Oil production and tourism already affected
Ahead of the storm, oil and gas producers shut down a significant share
of offshore production in the Gulf, which accounts for almost 15% of
crude pumped annually in the U.S.
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This GOES-19 GeoColor satellite image provided by the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and taken at 4:57 p.m.
EDT, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026, shows Tropical Storm Simon, bottom
center, in the Pacific Ocean, off the southwestern coast of Mexico,
and Tropical Storm Isaias, upper right, east of Mexico in the Gulf
of Mexico. (NOAA via AP)
As of Wednesday about 25% of the oil production in the region was
temporarily halted, taking about 511,000 barrels a day off the
market, according to the Marine Minerals Administration. It said
eight of the Gulf's 371 manned oil platforms were evacuated.
With oil prices already high, the production cuts are steep enough
to affect markets, though other Gulf hurricanes have caused larger
disruptions, said Jim Burkhard, global head of crude oil market
research for S&P Global Energy. More concerning, he said, is whether
Isaias strikes as a powerful storm near refineries.
As it moves inland, Isaias might also disrupt Saturday’s college
football showdown between rivals Georgia and Alabama, a game
President Donald Trump has planned to attend.
In Alabama, the cities of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach issued a
statement encouraging people in low-lying areas to voluntarily
evacuate.
Gulf Shores resident Maranie Adams gathered water and other supplies
as her family moved belongings, including a hot tub motor, to higher
ground. Her family planned to ride out the storm at home, roughly a
half-mile from shore, sheltering indoors alongside their flock of
chickens.
“We’re having to get crates to bring them into the house so they
don’t blow away,” Adams said. “It’s going to be noisy.”
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey issued a state of emergency for 40 counties,
while Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared one for 25 counties in the
Panhandle and Big Bend regions. The state also planned to deploy a
Miami-based urban search and rescue task force.
In Pensacola, electric utilities were pre-positioning crews to
quickly repair any power outages. City officials provided sand for
residents to fill sandbags to protect their homes against flooding.
And Mayor D.C. Reeves urged people to check on older adult neighbors
and others who might need help.
“Obviously no need to panic at this point,” Reeves told a news
conference. “This is really about preparation.”
___
Rico reported from Atlanta, Collins from Hartford, Connecticut, and
Golden from Seattle. Associated Press journalists Russ Bynum in
Savannah, Georgia, and Julie Walker in New York contributed to this
report.
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