Isaias becomes first hurricane of 2026 Atlantic season, threatens northern Gulf Coast. See maps, forecast path.
Hurricane Isaias strengthened from a tropical storm late Wednesday night and is expected to make landfall along the U.S. Gulf Coast this weekend, threatening parts of Mississippi, Alabama and the western part of the Florida Panhandle. It is the first hurricane of the 2026 Atlantic season.
A hurricane warning was issued Wednesday for the northern Gulf Coast, from Ocean Springs, Mississippi, across Alabama to Florida's Bay/Gulf County line.
Maps show it is expected to impact parts of Florida, Alabama and Georgia, bringing moderate or substantial rainfall to stretches of the coast, as well as inland portions of the southeastern U.S., over the weekend and into next week.
Along with the hurricane warning, a tropical storm warning was issued from Louisiana's Jefferson/Plaquemines Parish line to Ocean Springs, and from the Bay/Gulf county line to Florida's Aucilla River. A storm surge warning was also issued from the mouth of the Mississippi River to Yankeetown, Florida, according to the hurricane center.
The hurricane center forecasts 3 to 7 inches of rain and as much as 10 inches in some places on the central Gulf Coast from southeastern Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle. Much of the Southeast, and as far north as the Tennessee Valley and the Carolinas, could see rainfall ranging from 1 to 5 inches, forecasters said.
The season, which has been unusually quiet this year, runs from June 1 through Nov. 30.
Forecasters predicted there would be less Atlantic storm activity than usual in 2026, but the outcome of the season so far has been even quieter than anticipated. Meteorologists have suggested the lack of action has been largely due to the onset of a strong El Niño over the summer, which typically correlates with cooler water temperatures and greater fluctuations in wind patterns over the Atlantic, conditions that dampen the growth of tropical systems.
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- Hurricane Isaias strengthened from a tropical storm late Wednesday night and is expected to make landfall along the U.S. Gulf Coast this weekend, threatening parts of Mississippi, Alabama and the western part of the Florida Panhandle. It is
- A hurricane warning was issued Wednesday for the northern Gulf Coast, from Ocean Springs, Mississippi, across Alabama to Florida's Bay/Gulf County line.
- Maps show it is expected to impact parts of Florida, Alabama and Georgia, bringing moderate or substantial rainfall to stretches of the coast, as well as inland portions of the southeastern U.S., over the weekend and into next week.
- Along with the hurricane warning, a tropical storm warning was issued from Louisiana's Jefferson/Plaquemines Parish line to Ocean Springs, and from the Bay/Gulf county line to Florida's Aucilla River. A storm surge warning was also issued f
- The hurricane center forecasts 3 to 7 inches of rain and as much as 10 inches in some places on the central Gulf Coast from southeastern Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle. Much of the Southeast, and as far north as the Tennessee Valley and