This satellite image from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows Hurricane Isaias heading toward the U.S. Gulf Coast on Thursday, October 8, 2026.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
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National Oceanic and Atmospheric
MIAMI — Isaias strengthened into a Category 2 hurricane as it headed toward the U.S. Gulf Coast on Thursday, prompting tourists to abandon beaches for safer places inland, sending residents scrambling for gasoline and groceries and forcing fishing crews to secure their boats before the potentially destructive storm arrived.
The first hurricane of the Atlantic season is expected to rapidly intensify and bring dangerous conditions to the Florida Panhandle, southern Alabama and southern Mississippi when it makes landfall Friday evening or early Saturday. Heavy rain and flooding was possible over the weekend as far north as Tennessee and North Carolina.
“We expect Isaias to become a dangerous hurricane when it makes landfall,” said Michael Brennan, director of the National Hurricane Center in Miami.
He added: “Today is the day you need to prepare and be safe by tomorrow, as conditions will deteriorate rapidly along the northern Gulf Coast as Isaias approaches.”
Isaias had maximum sustained winds of 105 mph (165 kph), according to the hurricane center, exceeding the 96 mph (154 kph) threshold for a Category 2 storm.
Isaias was heading northeast at 14 mph (22 kph) and was centered about 260 miles (415 kilometers) south of the mouth of the Mississippi River.
A hurricane warning was in effect from Ocean Springs, Mississippi, to the Bay-Gulf County line in Florida, the hurricane center said. A storm surge warning was in effect from the mouth of the Mississippi to the Suwannee River.
A prediction cone shows the likely path of Hurricane Isaias as it heads toward the northern Gulf Coast. Forecasters say the storm will bring dangerous winds and storm surge when it makes landfall.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/Screenshot by NPR
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National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/Screenshot by NPR
Preparations underway
Coastal communities quickly prepared, as Alabama Governor Kay Ivey ordered non-residents to immediately evacuate Gulf Shores, Orange Beach and Dauphin Island. Videos posted on social media showed traffic at a standstill on a highway leading to Gulf Shores, where double-red beach flags signaled that access to the water was closed.
At least four Florida school districts have canceled weekend classes, while several counties have announced mandatory evacuations for some coastal areas. The governors of Florida and Alabama declared states of emergency in dozens of counties. Ron DeSantis of Florida said about 5,000 National Guard troops are expected to be mobilized by Friday.
On Dauphin Island, a 15-mile barrier island off the Alabama coast, authorities have encouraged voluntary evacuations, particularly in its popular western portion, which is vulnerable to storm surges.
Mayor Jeff Collier said he doesn’t anticipate substantial damage, “but at the same time, these things are very fickle and a little jog here or there, or a last-minute surge in force — we just have to prepare for the worst.”
Water from the storm surge and high tide could reach heights of 5 to 7 feet (1.5 to 2 meters) in parts of Alabama and Mississippi, forecasters said. Isaias could also dump up to 15 inches (38 centimeters) of rain on coastal areas and spawn tornadoes overnight Friday into Saturday, from Alabama to the Florida Panhandle and southwest Georgia. The hurricane is expected to weaken quickly after making landfall.
The National Weather Service warned of possible “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. This record dates back to 1905, when the first Atlantic hurricane of the year formed on October 8.
The Atlantic hurricane season has been unusually quiet this year due to a strong El Niño, which disrupts storm formation over the Atlantic. Storm activity was above average in the Pacific, where Hurricane Simon, which formed as a tropical storm off Mexico on Wednesday and strengthened into a hurricane Thursday evening, was forecast to strengthen into a Category 4 hurricane. Further north, Tropical Storm Rachel is expected to reach Baja California, Mexico and Southern California this weekend.
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.
Residents collect sandbags to prepare for the storm at the James Seals Jr. Parks & Recreation Center ahead of the expected landfall of Hurricane Isaias along the Gulf Coast, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026, in Mobile, Alabama.
Octavio Jones/AP
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Octavio Jones/AP
Oil production and tourism are 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.
As of Thursday, about 63% of the region’s oil production had been temporarily halted, removing nearly 1.3 million barrels per day from the market, according to the Marine Minerals Administration. According to the statement, 121 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 Alabama, which President Donald Trump planned to attend.
In Loxley, a small Alabama community where county officials called for voluntary evacuations, Nichole Eubanks and her husband prepared for the storm on their farm, which is home to dozens of animals, including pigs, donkeys and about 20 rescued cats.
They planned to put coordinates on the hooves of their goats, donkeys and pigs in case they got loose.
“It’s really scary, and you never really know where these storms are going to go and how bad they’re going to be until they arrive,” said Eubanks, 35.
In the fishing village of Bayou La Batre, Alabama, Tony Rice and Lance Connor installed doors on their fishing boat Thursday to protect the vessel. The boat was one of several docked there, and Rice said they planned to move it to a less busy location to reduce the chance of it hitting others.
In Pensacola, Florida, officials announced that the airport would be closed to commercial flights Friday morning. Mayor DC Reeves urged residents 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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