Hurricane Isaias Makes Landfall in Florida, 500K Without Power

Hurricane Isaias slammed into the Florida Panhandle on Friday night, and it did it in a season that was supposed to be quiet. The storm came ashore near Destin at 9:30 p.m. ET as a category 2 hurricane with 105 mph winds, according to The Guardian, citing the National Hurricane Center.

Landfall After a Weirdly Quiet Season

Here's the wild part: none of the eight earlier named storms this Atlantic season got stronger than tropical storm status. Isaias is the first hurricane of 2026, and it ties a record for the latest-forming Atlantic hurricane, matching one from 8 October 1905, The Guardian reports.

Forecasters expected it to peak as a major category 3 earlier in the day before weakening. Even so, the hurricane center warned that severe impacts would stretch from Louisiana to Florida and far inland. That includes a life-threatening storm surge of up to 7 feet along the Alabama-Florida line and gusts reaching northern Georgia.

"Weakening will occur after landfall, but sustained hurricane-force winds will likely occur near and along Isaias's track up to 100 miles inland," wrote NHC hurricane expert Robbie Berg in a Friday advisory.

What It Looked Like on the Ground

In Panama City Beach, NOAA officials observed water 5.4 feet above average. About 125 miles west, a wind gust of 102 mph was recorded at Pensacola city hall. Video from meteorologist Nick Stewart showed a Crestview gas station canopy shredded by the wind and rain.

By Friday evening nearly 500,000 customers had lost power across Alabama and Florida, per PowerOutage.com. Most flights were grounded at several Panhandle airports, and oil and gas producers shut down a significant share of offshore Gulf production. The Gulf accounts for almost 15 percent of annual US crude output.

Governors in Florida, Alabama and Mississippi declared states of emergency. Florida's National Guard deployed roughly 5,000 soldiers and airmen, and Uber partnered with the state to offer free rides of up to $40 each way to evacuation shelters. "The storm is here. Buckle down at this point. Don't be getting out on the roads," Gov. Ron DeSantis said.

And yes, the Waffle House Index is flashing red. Dozens of the chain's Panhandle locations closed, which locals treat as the unofficial sign that a storm is serious.

El Niño vs. a Superheated Gulf

This storm is a real tug of war. According to the Associated Press, via ABC News, a supersized El Niño has pumped wind shear across the Atlantic all season, smothering almost every storm before it could grow. But the Gulf of Mexico is about 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit (1.5 C) warmer than normal, with 86-degree water.

Climate Central's Kristina Dahl told AP those waters are 100 to 500 times more likely to be that hot because of climate change. Isaias rapidly intensified from 40 mph to 80 mph in a day. "The warm waters and high moisture won," said Colorado State hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach.

Dahl put it bluntly: climate change is the "long-term big kahuna warming everywhere," while El Niño is "a little icing on the cake." Sea level rise of about six and a half inches over the past century also makes the surge deeper and farther reaching. If you want more on the bigger pattern, check our climate coverage, including the record El Niño now building in the Pacific.

The FEMA Question

The Guardian notes the storm could be the first major test of a downsized FEMA, which has faced huge cuts and restructuring, according to emergency management experts. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey said Donald Trump approved her state's emergency declaration, which will help "cut tape" for federal partners.

What Happens Next

Hurricane Isaias will weaken inland, but the flood threat is the long game. The hurricane center warned of urban, river and flash flooding across the Southeast this weekend, since a warmer atmosphere lets storms hold and then dump more rain. If you're anywhere in its path, follow local officials and stay off the roads and keep your phone charged. Hurricane Isaias isn't done yet. We'll keep tracking how the world responds as the damage picture comes into focus.

For a generation that grew up on climate warnings, this is the lesson in real time: a quiet season can still produce a dangerous storm, and the damage assessment is only beginning.