Isaias becomes first hurricane of 2026 Atlantic season, threatens Gulf Coast
Hurricane Isaias strengthened from a tropical storm late Wednesday night and is expected to make landfall along the U.S. Gulf Coast this weekend, threatening parts of Mississippi, Alabama and the western part of the Florida panhandle. It is the first hurricane of the 2026 Atlantic season.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for more than two dozen counties in his state, which directed resources to prepare for potential severe impacts from the storm, while Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey issued a similar state of emergency for 40 counties.
Isaias had maximum sustained winds of 75 mph and was located about 460 miles southwest of the mouth of the Mississippi River, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Maps show hurricane's path
Forecasters said they expected Hurricane Isaias, pronounced "ees-ah-EE-ahs," to pass to the north of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula on Thursday before proceeding toward the Gulf Coast on Friday. It is forecast to make landfall along the northern Gulf Coast of the U.S. late Friday or early Saturday, the hurricane center said.
Maps show it is expected to impact parts of Florida, Alabama and Georgia, bringing moderate or substantial rainfall to stretches of the coast, as well as inland portions of the southeastern U.S., over the weekend and into next week.
A hurricane warning was issued Wednesday for the northern Gulf Coast, from Ocean Springs, Mississippi, to Florida's Bay/Gulf county line, and a tropical storm warning was issued from Louisiana's Jefferson/Plaquemines Parish line to Ocean Springs, and from the Bay/Gulf county line to Florida's Aucilla River. A storm surge warning was also issued from the mouth of the Mississippi River to Yankeetown, Florida, according to the hurricane center.
The hurricane center forecasts 3 to 7 inches of rain and as much as 10 inches in some places on the central Gulf Coast from southeastern Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle. Much of the Southeast, and as far north as the Tennessee Valley and the Carolinas, could see rainfall ranging from 1 to 5 inches, forecasters said.
The latest for a first hurricane since 1905
Isaias' progression into a hurricane on Thursday marked the latest date in 111 years for the Atlantic season's first hurricane to develop, tying a record set on Oct. 8, 1905, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration data.
The season, which has been unusually quiet this year, runs from June 1 through Nov. 30.
An Atlantic hurricane season produces 14 named storms, seven hurricanes and three major hurricanes, on average, according to the hurricane center, which used climate data collected between 1991 and 2020 to calculate those figures. A season's first named storm normally forms in mid- to late-June, while the first hurricane tends to form in early- to mid-August, and the first major hurricane forms in late August or early September.
Forecasters predicted there would be less Atlantic storm activity than usual in 2026, but the outcome of the season so far has been even quieter than anticipated. Meteorologists have suggested the lack of action has been largely due to the onset of a strong El Niño over the summer, which typically correlates with cooler water temperatures and greater fluctuations in wind patterns over the Atlantic, conditions that dampen the growth of tropical systems.
Nikki Nolan contributed to this report.
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