Hurricane Isaias strengthens as US Gulf Coast prepares for landfall

Coastal regions of Florida and Alabama have been notified to evacuate as Hurricane Isaias approaches the US Gulf Coast, according to official warnings. The storm is bringing the threat of flooding, power outages, and dangerous storm surges. Hurricane Isaias is currently the first Atlantic hurricane of the 2026 season and has sustained winds of 140 kph, with further strengthening expected to near Category 3 intensity before it reaches the northern Gulf Coast.

The National Hurricane Center's director, Michael Brennan, warned that the hurricane is expected to be dangerous when it makes landfall. Hurricane warnings are in effect from coastal Mississippi through Alabama to the Florida panhandle, while tropical-storm and storm-surge warnings extend into southeastern Louisiana. Forecasters anticipate storm surges reaching 1.5 to 2.1 meters above sea level in the most affected coastal areas, with rainfall predictions of 8 to 18 cm, and isolated totals up to 38 cm.

As the hurricane moves east-northeast at 17 kph, it is currently approximately 570 km south of the Mississippi River's mouth.