Hundreds of thousands lose power as Hurricane Isaias batters Florida, Alabama
Hundreds of thousands of people in Alabama and the Florida Panhandle were without power early Saturday after Isaias crashed into the U.S. Gulf Coast as a dangerous hurricane and left flooded roads and downed trees in its wake as it moved inland.
Isaias marks the first hurricane of the Atlantic season
The Associated Press
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Hundreds of thousands of people in Alabama and the Florida Panhandle were without power early Saturday after Isaias crashed into the U.S. Gulf Coast as a dangerous hurricane and left flooded roads and downed trees in its wake as it moved inland.
The storm made landfall Friday as a Category 2 hurricane, then quickly moved north through Alabama as its wind speeds dropped sharply.
But the possibility of life-threatening storm surges still loomed for parts of the Florida Panhandle, along with heavy rain and potential flooding for much of the region over the weekend and into Monday.
Isaias was about 40 kilometres south-southwest of Montgomery, Ala., and nearly 170 kilometres south of Birmingham, Ala., with maximum sustained winds of 55 km/h, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said Saturday.
Forecasters also warned that conditions could stir up tornadoes across parts of the Florida Panhandle and into Georgia and the Carolinas.
Isaias made landfall near Destin, Fla., as the first hurricane of the Atlantic season.
The storm's rapid intensification was fuelled by record-warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico. The Gulf has seen substantial warming over the past few decades, and experts say the current marine heatwave was made far more likely due to human-caused climate change.
While the warm waters provided the abundant energy that Isaias needed, its formation was also made possible by favourable atmospheric conditions, including weak upper-level winds that would otherwise have disrupted the burgeoning storm.
But just before landfall, upper-level wind shear increased, causing the storm to weaken slightly, dropping it back to Category 2 and making it more disorganized, expanding the area hit by damaging winds.
Hurricane-force winds lashed the Gulf shoreline in the low-lying coastal area known for powdery white-sand beaches dotted with vacation homes, waterfront bars and seafood shacks.
"The storm is here. Buckle down at this point. Don’t be getting out on the roads," Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said at a news conference Friday.
Roads in Destin were flooded, while in nearby Pensacola, police warned residents to stay off the streets because of debris across roadways. While the extent of the damage was not immediately known, many area residents posted pictures online of downed trees and power lines, and one social media video showed a roof being ripped off an inn in Pensacola.
Some Panhandle counties temporarily suspended emergency response Friday night because of dangerous conditions.
Parts of southern Alabama also were flooded, with officials in Mobile reporting downed trees and power lines. Roads in Houston County, which is in the southeastern corner of the state, were closed because of similar conditions.
More than 726,000 customers in Florida and Alabama were without power early Saturday, according to poweroutage.com.
A man tries to push a car as waves wash over the road on Friday ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Isaias, in Englewood, Fla. (Facebook/Reuters)
Tim Mowry, who rode out the storm from his home in Pensacola, said the wind was so intense it sounded like a train whistle as it whipped through a crack in his patio door. He lost power around 4:30 p.m. but was able to rely on a generator. Standing water also covered his backyard, and parts of his fence were ripped down, but overall he said the storm wasn’t as bad as he expected.
"As far as Pensacola-wise, we really got fortunate," Mowry said.
Mowry said his son, who lives about 15 minutes away, tried to drive to his home after losing power but had to turn around because downed trees and power lines blocked the roads.
Weakened storm threatens region with floods
Despite weakening, heavy rain is forecast as Isaias moves inland, with 10 to 20 centimetres or even more expected through the weekend from southern Alabama, the Florida Panhandle and Big Bend, and southwest Georgia.
The last hurricane to hit the eastern U.S. was Milton, which tore up the Gulf Coast of Florida in 2024.
Isaias also grounded most Friday flights at several airports, including all flights into and out of Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport. U.S. President Donald Trump, meanwhile, scrapped his plans to attend Saturday’s football game between the University of Georgia and the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. He said he didn’t want to disrupt emergency response efforts.
In the Pacific, meanwhile, Simon strengthened into a Category 4 hurricane as it approached Mexico’s coast.
Tropical Storm Rachel was also expected to bring heavy winds and rain to northern Mexico and Southern California over the weekend.
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