A high-end Category 2 hurricane, Isaias, is currently tracking toward the U.S. Gulf Coast, with forecasters expecting landfall Friday evening along the Florida Panhandle. The National Hurricane Center indicates the system could intensify into a major Category 3 storm by Friday before slightly weakening back to Category 2 strength in the hours leading up to its arrival between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m.
Rainfall has already begun impacting the Panhandle, and meteorologists warn that tropical-storm-force winds will likely arrive Friday morning, escalating to hurricane-force gusts by afternoon. Landfall is projected within a 40-mile radius east or west of Pensacola, with the most severe impacts anticipated near the storm’s center and to the east. Consequently, the stretch from Pensacola to Panama City is expected to endure the brunt of the devastation, including prolonged power outages.
This event marks two years since Hurricane Milton made landfall south of Tampa near Siesta Key on October 9, 2024. That strike ended a decade-long drought in which the United States experienced no hurricane landfalls between 2022 and 2025.
Warning zones remain active across the region. A hurricane warning covers the area from just east of Biloxi, Mississippi, through Mobile and Pensacola to Panama City and Mexico Beach, Florida. Residents in these zones should anticipate wind gusts ranging from 75 to 110 mph. Additionally, a tropical storm warning extends from the eastern coast of Louisiana northward to Montgomery and Tallahassee, Florida, where gusts of 50 to 75 mph are possible.
A tropical storm watch has been issued for parts of Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi, including Birmingham, Tuscaloosa, Albany, and Hattiesburg, where winds could reach 55 mph. In Perdido Key, preparations are underway, with residents boarding up windows at local businesses ahead of the storm’s arrival.
Coastal flooding poses a critical threat, with storm surges of 5 to 7 feet expected from Dauphin Island and Gulf Shores, Alabama, northward to various Florida communities including Destin, Panama City, and Port St. Joe. Areas in Mississippi such as Biloxi, Gulfport, and Bay St. Louis face 4 to 6 feet of storm surge, potentially accompanied by massive waves up to 30 feet in height.
Rainfall totals are predicted to reach 4 to 8 inches across southern Alabama, the Florida Panhandle, and the Big Bend region, with isolated pockets seeing up to 15 inches. Further inland, the coastal Carolinas and southern Appalachians may receive 3 to 5 inches, while the broader Southeast expects 1 to 3 inches with localized highs of 5 inches. Flash floods, urban flooding, and significant river flooding are likely, particularly in southern Alabama, the Panhandle, and southwestern Georgia.
Two years since Milton hit Tampa. It feels like every year now brings a new major hurricane. Is the climate really getting this aggressive so quickly?
Living near Panama City, I’m genuinely worried about the storm surge numbers. Four to seven feet is terrifying for our low-lying neighborhood.