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 Hurricane Isaias made landfall as a Category 2 hurricane. The storm brought flooded roads and downed trees as it moved inland. According to Global News, Isaias made landfall near Destin, Florida, and quickly moved north through Alabama as its wind speeds dropped sharply to 35 mph.

The storm had weakened overnight and was no longer considered a hurricane, but flash flooding threats and the potential for tornadoes persisted as it moved inland across Alabama. The National Hurricane Center warned of a potential for 4 to 8 inches of rain across southern Alabama, the Florida Panhandle, and Big Bend over the weekend.

Isaias was expected to move into the Tennessee Valley later Saturday and Sunday, with forecasters warning that conditions could stir up tornadoes across parts of the Florida Panhandle and into Georgia and the Carolinas. All tropical storm and storm surge warnings had been discontinued by Saturday.

Brief written by urgent.news from CBC News, Global News, Free Malaysia Today — 3 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.