The Panhandle could see up to 7 feet of storm surge.

Isaias has strengthened into the first hurricane of the 2026 Atlantic season, and evacuation guidance has been issued in Alabama and Florida before its expected landfall on Friday night. Isaias is expected to lash the central Gulf Coast and parts of the Southeast with heavy rain and destructive winds,

Isaias has the potential to bring damaging winds, long-duration power outages, flash flooding, deadly storm surge and tornadoes to the coast. Inland areas in Alabama won’t get off that easy, either, and could face power outages, flash flooding and tornadoes as the storm moves northward over the state.

Hurricane Isaias is expected to gain strength and become a Category 2 storm before making landfall. Track where it's going, current wind speed here.

Isaias intensified late Wednesday, becoming the first hurricane of the season, and iscontinuing to target the Gulf Coast. An area from Mississippi to Florida’s Panhandle is squarely in the storm’s crosshairs,

With less than two months remaining in the hurricane season, the potential for a ninth named tropical storm in the Atlantic basin is brewing in the southern Gulf. Since the Atlantic's season began on June 1, it has only seen eight named storms this year, while El Niño continues to bring a more active season in the Pacific. The season ends Nov. 30.

The global energy system is already being pushed to the brink. A major hurricane barreling down on America’s refining nerve center is the last thing that’s needed.