Isaias headed to 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 high winds and potentially life-threatening storm surge to the Florida Panhandle, southern Alabama and southern Mississippi when it makes landfall on the northern Gulf Coast Friday evening or early Saturday. Heavy rain with a risk of flooding was possible over the weekend as far inland as the Tennessee Valley.
The hurricane had maximum sustained winds of about 75 mph (121 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 445 miles (715 kilometers) south-southwest of the mouth of the Mississippi River.
Coastal communities quickly prepared. Some Gulf oil wells halted production and at least four Florida school districts canceled classes later in the week, while Okaloosa County announced mandatory evacuations for some coastal areas. The governors of Florida and Alabama said a state of emergency for dozens of counties.
The National Weather Service asked communities from Ocean Springs, Mississippi, to Gulf County, Florida, to prepare for the possibility of “long-term power outages.”
The hurricane formed at the end of the season
Isaias developed more than four months after the start of the Atlantic hurricane season and was one day short of tying a 121-year-old record for the last hurricane to form in the region. According to the National Weather Service, the record dates back to 1905, when the first Atlantic hurricane of the year formed on October 8.
Atlantic hurricane season has been unusually quiet this year because of a strong El Niño, which disrupts the formation of storms over this ocean. Storm activity was above average in the Pacific, where Tropical Storm Simon formed Wednesday off the coast of Mexico.
Isaias is expected to hit a stretch of coast familiar with major hurricanes.
Hurricane Camille, one of the worst storms of the 20th century, killed more than 250 people after making landfall near Waveland, Mississippi, in 1969. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina leveled parts of 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 portion of offshore production in the Gulf, which accounts for nearly 15% of the crude pumped into the United States each year.
On Wednesday, about 25% of the region’s oil production was temporarily halted, removing about 511,000 barrels per day from the market, according to the Marine Minerals Administration. Eight of the Gulf’s 371 manned oil platforms have been evacuated.
With oil prices already high, the production cuts are large enough to affect markets, even if other Gulf hurricanes have caused greater disruptions, said Jim Burkhard, global head of crude oil market research at S&P Global Energy. What’s more concerning, he said, is whether Isaias would hit as a powerful storm near the refineries.
By moving inland, Isaias could also disrupt Saturday’s college football showdown between rivals Georgia and Alabamaa game that President Donald Trump plans to attend.
In Alabama, the cities of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach issued a statement encouraging residents in low-lying areas to voluntarily evacuate.
Gulf Shores resident Maranie Adams gathered water and other supplies as her family moved their belongings, including a hot tub motor, to higher ground. Her family planned to ride out the storm at their home, about a half-mile from shore, sheltering indoors alongside their flock of chickens.
“We have to get crates to bring them into the house so they don’t fly away,” Adams said. “It’s going to be loud.”
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey declared a state of emergency for 40 counties, while Florida Governor Ron DeSantis declared one for 25 counties in the Panhandle and Big Bend regions. The state also planned to deploy an urban search and rescue task force based in Miami.
In Pensacola, electric utilities were pre-positioning crews to quickly repair any power outages. Municipal authorities provided sand to residents to fill sandbags to protect their homes from flooding. And Mayor DC Reeves urged people to check to see if their elderly neighbors and others might need help.
“There’s obviously no need to panic at this point,” Reeves said at a news conference. “It’s really about preparation.”
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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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