Hurricane Isaias makes landfall on US Gulf Coast leaving thousands without power

Summary

We have paused our live coverage. Read more about the latest developments here: Life-threatening Hurricane Isaias makes landfall in Florida
Hurricane Isaias has made landfall near Destin, Florida, on the US Gulf Coast as a category 2 storm
The storm peaked as a category 3 but downgraded as it approached the shore, bringing with it a potentially deadly storm surge
People on the coast of the Florida panhandle have been told to seek immediate shelter under an "Extreme Wind Warning"
Hundreds of thousands are without power in the country's southeast - and Alabama, Florida and Georgia have issued states of emergency as they prepare for flooding from the heavy rain
One Florida resident tells the BBC that "everyone's gone", but he's remaining in his home, securing his ducks and chickens in the bathroom
US President Donald Trump is no longer attending a major American football college game in Tuscaloosa, Alabama because of the hurricane
In addition to Isaias, Tropical Storm Rachel will impact southern California on Saturday, and Hurricane Simon will hit the Pacific coast of Mexico on Sunday

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Live Reporting

Edited by Oliver O'Connell and Angus Thompson

Railway routes out of New Orleans cancelled ahead of Isaias making landfallpublished at 16:52 BST 9 October

Amtrak, the American national rail service provider, announced cancellations of some train services in the region due to the storm.
This includes:
- New Orleans, Louisiana to Mobile, Alabama: The “Mardi Gras” service, which runs twice daily, will be cancelled till Sunday 11 October
- New Orleans to Atlanta, Georgia: The Crescent service will resume on Monday 12 October, the Southern Rail Commission announced
Meanwhile, CSX - a major American freight railroad and transportation company - issued a customer advisory Thursday, stating that it would be “closely monitoring” the storm.
How Isaias - and El Niño - are remaking the story of this year's hurricane seasonpublished at 16:32 BST 9 October
Simon King
Lead weather presenter, BBC Weather

This season has been extremely quiet for hurricanes with Isaias setting a new record for the latest date a hurricane has formed in the modern era.
The reason for the quiet activity is down to the record El Niño - the warming of the tropical Pacific. El Niño disrupts weather patterns around the world and for the Atlantic brings stronger winds higher in the atmosphere.
These stronger winds limit hurricane formation by essentially ripping developing thunderstorms apart before they can organise themselves into a larger weather system and storms.
Forecasters had therefore already predicted this season would be below average.
But, even if a season is expected to be quiet, it only takes one hurricane to make landfall and bring life-threatening impacts.

States of emergency declared across Georgia, Florida and Alabamapublished at 16:26 BST 9 October
Sakshi Venkatraman
US reporter

Image source, Reuters
Several US states have declared states of emergency as Hurricane Isaias approaches the northern Gulf Coast.
Florida
Governor Ron DeSantis placed 25 counties under a state of emergency on Tuesday, urging people to have a plan and stock up on emergency supplies.
The order mostly impacts the Panhandle and Big Bend regions of the state, including the cities of Pensacola and Panama City.
Alabama
Governor Kay Ivey placed 40 counties under a state of emergency until next Wednesday. They include Tuscaloosa, Montgomery, and Washington counties.
Several government offices will also shut early on Friday as residents prepare for the storm.
Georgia
The entire state of Georgia is under a state of emergency, Governor Brian Kemp declared Wednesday.
"I encourage all Georgians to prepare now by stocking up on food, batteries, flashlights, water, and other necessities," he wrote on X.
Tracking Hurricane's Isaias path as it barrels toward US Gulf Coastpublished at 16:08 BST 9 October
Simon King
Lead weather presenter, BBC Weather

The hurricane is currently moving roughly north in the Gulf of Mexico at a speed of around 16mph.
Current track estimates will bring the outer edges with strengthening winds and heavy rain from Friday afternoon US time in the Gulf Coast area of Missouri and the Florida Panhandle.
Isaias is forecast to weaken slightly before the centre - the eye - makes landfall in the early hours of Saturday morning.
There will also be a life-threatening storm surge of up to 6ft (1.8m) from the Mouth of the Mississippi River to Suwannee, Florida.
Throughout Saturday, as a tropical storm, Isaias will continue to move north into Alabama and the eastern side of Missouri bringing heavy rain and strong winds.

Hurricane Isaias now a ‘major’ category three stormpublished at 16:05 BST 9 October
Simon King
Lead weather presenter, BBC Weather

Hurricane Hunter aircraft have been monitoring Hurricane Isaias all morning with the latest data now showing the hurricane has sustained wind speeds of 120mph (193km/h), with even higher gusts.
This now places Isaias, the first Atlantic hurricane of the 2026 season, as a category three "major hurricane".
By the time it is expected to make landfall on the Gulf Coast of Missouri and Florida Panhandle (late Friday or early Saturday morning US time), it will weaken but still bring dangerous, life threatening storm surge, strong winds and flooding rains.
We'll bring you all the key updates right here, including where evacuation orders are in place, what we should expect when the storm makes landfall and where major traffic disruptions are occurring. Stick with us.
Image source, ZOOM EARTH
Image caption,
A satellite image of Hurricane Isaias as it approaches the US northern Gulf Coast