Isaias becomes a hurricane within 20 hours of forming, could spawn tornadoes

Isaias turned into a hurricane less than 20 hours after becoming a tropical storm on Wednesday night (October 7). It is a Category 1 storm right now and is expected to make landfall on the US coast on October 9 as a dangerous Category 2 hurricane. Isaias is now the first Atlantic hurricane of the 2026 season. The National Hurricane Center said it is moving north-northeast toward the northern Gulf Coast, targeting the region between Louisiana and the Florida Panhandle.

Wind speeds could cross the 100 mph mark by Friday and will peak before making landfall. Heavy rain is expected to begin on Friday. The hurricane centre said that even then it is expected to pack in strong winds and flooding rain and will dramatically weaken later.

Mike Brennan, National Hurricane Center director, said Wednesday, "We are expecting multiple dangerous, life-threatening impacts along portions of the northern Gulf coast on Friday." He warned that the region from Ocean Springs, Mississippi, to Indian Pass, Florida, is expected to witness storm surge. He has predicted 5 to 7 feet of inundation above ground level in some areas in this stretch. Tornadoes are also possible in some places.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Alabama Governor Kay Ivey have declared states of emergency. The entire west end of Dauphin Island in Alabama and Zones A and B in Okaloosa County in Florida are under evacuation order.

Hurricane Isaias: Wind strength

On October 8 early morning, maximum sustained winds were 80 mph. The NHC has forecasted that the storm will reach 100 mph later on Thursday, and peak at nearly 110 mph on Friday morning. It will make landfall near Pensacola, Florida, or Mobile late Friday.

Hurricane Isaias landfall

As mentioned above, the Florida Panhandle, coastal Alabama, and eastern coastal Mississippi will get damaging winds, heavy rain and storm surge. Storm surge is expected to reach around 4 to 6 feet from the mouth of the Mississippi River to the area of Gulfport.