Millions on alert as Hurricane Isaias set to bring dangerous storm surge

Millions of people from Louisiana to Florida were under hurricane warnings on Thursday as Hurricane Isaias heads toward the US Gulf coast, with weather officials warning of dangerous storm surge, hurricane-force winds, heavy rainfall and flooding.

Isaias intensified from a tropical storm into the first hurricane of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season on Wednesday night, and has prompted state of emergency declarations in Florida, Alabama and Georgia, as well as evacuation orders and school closures in several Florida counties as officials urge residents to prepare for its arrival.

The National Weather Service (NWS) said on Thursday evening that Isaias, now a category 2 hurricane, has sustained winds of 100mph (160km/h). It is expected to make landfall in the northern Gulf coast late Friday or early Saturday.

The NWS warned that Isaias was “expected to strengthen and be a strong hurricane when it approaches the northern Gulf coast on Friday” and that it was expected to bring a “life-threatening storm surge” along parts of the northern Gulf coast.

Storm surge warnings, issued when there is a “danger of life-threatening inundation from rising water moving inland from the coastline”, are already in effect from the mouth of the Mississippi River to the Suwanee River in Florida. Residents in the affected areas have been urged to follow advice from local officials and evacuate if instructed to do so.

The NWS further warned that “preparations to protect life and property from storm surge and damaging winds in the warning area should be rushed to completion today”.

Hurricane warnings were in effect from Ocean Springs, Mississippi, to the Bay/Gulf county line in Florida, with the NWS warning that “damaging hurricane force-winds are expected over portions of the Florida Panhandle, southern Alabama, and southern Mississippi”. Residents were being urged to prepare for possible “long-duration power outages”.

Tropical storm warnings were in effect from parts of Louisiana to west of Ocean Springs, Mississippi, and from east of the Bay/Gulf county line to Aucilla River in Florida. Gusty winds were also possible across parts of the Yucatán peninsula on Thursday.

Isaias was expected to bring heavy rain to the central Gulf coast and much of the south-east from Friday into the weekend, with 3-7in of rain expected from south-eastern Louisiana to the Florida Big Bend region.

The NWS warned that localized rainfall totals of up to 15in were possible, and noted that flash and urban flooding was possible, along with isolated river flooding.

Isolated tornadoes could also develop on Friday night in coastal areas of Alabama and the Florida Panhandle and far south-western Georgia, the NWS said, adding that “the tornado threat will continue Saturday for eastern Alabama, Georgia and northern Florida”.

On Thursday afternoon, the Georgia governor, Brian Kemp, issued a state of emergency ahead of Isaias, for all 159 counties, enabling emergency management teams to “make necessary arrangements and position needed resources ahead of the storm’s impact”.

“As we always do with weather events, we’re hoping for the best but preparing for the worst,” Kemp said. “I encourage all Georgians to take this storm seriously and prepare now by stocking up on food, batteries, flashlights, water, and other necessities in case of severe weather impacting communities Friday night through Saturday.”

It came as Alabama governor, Kay Ivey, declared a state of emergency in 40 counties on Wednesday, saying the order would allow officials to take “any needed steps ahead of landfall”. A flood watch is also set to take effect for all of central Alabama from 7pm local time on Friday through 7am local time Saturday morning.

The Florida governor, Ron DeSantis, also declared a state of emergency this week for 25 counties.

At a news conference on Thursday afternoon, DeSantis said that the hurricane was “expected to make impacts with the winds as early as Friday afternoon” and said “landfall is projected at this point to be late Friday night into the wee hours of Saturday morning. It’s moving pretty quickly.”

He added: “Execute your plan now if you’re in that area, execute it, it’s something that we’re going to have to get through, we’re going to have impacts, and I’ve pretty much said that from the outset, there will be impacts.

“We are assuming that this could reach category 3 status.”

Several counties in Florida have issued local emergencies and evacuation orders. Officials in Okaloosa county declared a local state of emergency on Wednesday and ordered some residents in coastal areas to evacuate.

On Thursday, Florida’s Walton and Franklin counties issued mandatory evacuation orders for some areas. Officials in Escambia county issued an evacuation order for residents in areas including Perdido Key, Innerarity Point, Pensacola Beach and other low-lying areas.

DeSantis said on Thursday that the Florida division of emergency management was coordinating with all local counties to address resource requests and to position equipment before the storm. He also said that 900 personnel with the Florida department of transportation were conducting pre-storm preparations.

Several school districts in Alabama and Florida have announced closures, while Florida State University’s Tallahassee campus announced it will be closed on Friday.

The hurricane is also expected to disrupt travel. Destin-Fort Walton Beach airport said it would close all operations at 9pm local time on Thursday, and remain closed until further notice.

Meanwhile, Pensacola airport announced it would be closing to commercial operations at 10am CT on Friday, with the reopening date and time to be determined.

The Federal Aviation Administration warned on Thursday that “Hurricane Isaias may lead to oceanic route closures in the Gulf” and that thunderstorm delays are possible in Orlando, Tampa, Miami and Fort Lauderdale. The Southern Rail Commission said Amtrak’s Mardi Gras service along the Gulf coast will be suspended through the weekend.

Additionally, starting Friday, the Crescent service between New Orleans and Atlanta will be suspended until Monday.

In Tennessee, the NWS office in Morristown warned that “remnants of Hurricane Isaias will bring heavy rain and strong, gusty winds to our area this weekend”. The office said that “high winds could top 60–70+ mph in the eastern TN mountains and foothills, with isolated flash flooding possible in heavy rainfall areas”.

In Ohio, the NWS office in Wilmington cautioned that Isaias would hit the Ohio valley this weekend, with strong winds expected, with possible “widespread rain” and storms.

In Pennsylvania, the NWS office in Pittsburgh said “moisture from Hurricane Isaias is forecast to reach our region this weekend” and that they were expecting “soaking rain, but risks of significant flooding are low”.