Hurricane Isaias tracker: Storm closes in on Florida Panhandle

Oct 09, 2026 - 21:54

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Hurricane Isaias tracker: Storm closes in on Florida Panhandle

Communities on the U.S. Gulf Coast are bracing as Hurricane Isaias, now a strong Category 2 hurricane, made landfall Friday night.

The storm, with winds up to 105 mph, made landfall near Destin, Florida, in the Florida Panhandle at 8:30 p.m. CT.

A hurricane warning is currently in effect from just east of Biloxi, Mississippi, through Mobile and Pensacola to Panama City and Mexico Beach, Florida.

Many low-lying and coastal areas, particularly on the Florida Panhandle, are under evacuation orders, with communities preparing for strong winds that could near 120 mph in some locations, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said in a press conference Friday morning.

Storm surge warnings are also in place along the coast, with surges forecast to reach up to 9 feet from the Santa Rosa/Okaloosa County Line, Florida, to Grayton Beach, Florida.

Latest Developments

_{Oct 9, 9:39 PM}
Hurricane Isaias makes landfall

Hurricane Isaias, a strong Category 2 hurricane, made landfall Friday night.

The storm, with winds up to 105 mph, made landfall near Destin, Florida, in the Florida Panhandle at 8:30 p.m. CT, the National Weather Service said.

_{Oct 9, 9:20 PM}
Water levels rising along the coast as landfall nearsWater levels were rising rapidly along the coast as dangerous hurricane conditions and life-threatening flash flooding spread inland.

Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP via Getty Images - PHOTO: US-WEATHER-HURRICANE

Extreme wind warnings and a flash flood emergency continue as landfall is soon expected near the Fort Walton Beach and Destin area of Florida.

A wind gust of 102 mph with sustained wind of 62 mph was recently reported at Pensacola City Hall.

_{Oct 9, 8:53 PM}
Nearly half a million without power in hurricane zone

Over 430,000 customers are without power in Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi and Louisiana as of 8:40 p.m. as Hurricane Isaias neared landfall.

The highest number of outages was in Florida, which saw more than 304,000 customers without power.

_{Oct 9, 8:07 PM}
Storm now a strong Category 2 as it nears landfall

Hurricane Isaias has weakened slightly to a strong Category 2 storm with winds at 110 mph as it nears landfall Friday night.

Extreme wind warnings continue from Pensacola to Destin, Florida.

Landfall is expected in the next hour or two.

_{Oct 9, 7:13 PM}
Extreme wind warning issued as eyewall approaches coast

An extreme wind warning has been issued for portions of the western Florida Panhandle, as the eyewall of Hurricane Isaias approaches the coast.

"This is an extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation!" the National Weather Service warned.

An 81 mph wind gust was reported earlier this evening in the Gulf northeast of the hurricane's center, the NWS said.

_{Oct 9, 6:26 PM}
Over 120K customers in 5 states without power

More than 120,000 customers are without power across five states in the hurricane zone -- Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Georgia.

_{Oct 9, 4:36 PM}
Panama City, Florida, airport halts commercial flights

Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport in Panama City, Florida ceased all commercial operations as of 1 p.m. CT Friday, according to a social media post.

_{Oct 9, 4:40 PM}
'Rapidly deteriorating' conditions along northern Gulf Coast

Conditions are "rapidly deteriorating along the northern Gulf Coast," according to a 4 p.m. ET update from the NHC, as Hurricane Isaias moves toward landfall.

Gerald Herbert/AP Photo - PHOTO: Dor Offer, owner of Cafe Bistro, checks the weather on his phone as he closes his restaurant while Hurricane Isaias approaches Pensacola Beach, Fla., Oct. 9, 2026.

Hurricane warnings are in place from east of Biloxi, Mississippi, to Panama City, Florida, and tornado watch is in place from Pensacola, Florida, to Tallahassee, Florida.

_{Oct 9, 3:08 PM}
Tropical storm conditions begin along northern gulf

NOAA - PHOTO: Communities on the U.S. Gulf Coast are preparing for Hurricane Isaias, now a Category 3 hurricane, to make landfall Friday between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m.

Tropical storm conditions are starting along the northern Gulf Coast, according to the National Hurricane Center.

"Preparations against life-threatening storm surge and devastating winds should be completed in the next couple of hours," the message read.

_{Oct 9, 2:08 PM}
Tornado watch issued for parts of Florida, Georgia, Alabama

A tornado watch has been issued for parts of the Florida Panhandle, southern Georgia and Alabama through 9 p.m. ET.

This includes Pensacola, Panama City and Tallahassee in Florida.

Convective bands from Hurricane Isaias will continue to move north and overspread the watch area Friday afternoon through this evening.

Embedded tornadic storm cells are possible within those bands.

ABC News - PHOTO: Tracking Isaias, tornado watch.

Click here to read the rest of the blog.This article originally appeared on ABC News at https://abcnews.com/US/live-updates/hurricane-isaias-updates-isaias-strengthens-category-3/?id=137128637