Hurricane Isaias Intensifies to Category 3, Prompts Evacuations Along Gulf Coast

Category three Hurricane Isaias is expected to make landfall along the Gulf Coast Friday evening, bringing with it life-threatening storm surges and damaging winds. Federal forecasters predict the storm will hit Pensacola, Florida, with its dangerous conditions extending from New Orleans, Louisiana, to Tallahassee, Florida.

Mandatory evacuation orders have been issued for numerous coastal counties in Alabama and Florida as Isaias, the first hurricane of the 2026 Atlantic season, churns toward the U.S. mainland. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) confirmed the storm's intensification, stating that data from an Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft indicated maximum sustained winds of 120 mph.

Hurricane warnings are in effect for parts of Florida, Alabama, and Mississippi, with Louisiana under tropical storm and storm surge warnings. The NHC has advised that "preparations should be rushed to completion as the weather will go downhill quickly today."

Military installations in Florida are taking precautionary measures. The U.S. Air Force began evacuating aircraft, including stealth fighters, gunships, and special operations planes, from Florida bases. Reports indicate that Navy aircraft are also being moved out of the storm's path from Naval Air Station Pensacola and Naval Air Station Whiting Field, with some heading to safer locations in Texas and Arkansas.

Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida urged residents to exercise caution, particularly regarding storm surges. "I can tell you that if you have a category three storm come to the panhandle, most of the structures that have been built this century can withstand the wind damage," DeSantis said. "But, the surge is really what put people's lives in jeopardy if they haven't heeded the evacuation orders and does the most significant damage."

The storm surge poses a significant threat, with projections indicating that seawater pushed inland by hurricane winds could raise water levels 6 to 9 feet above normally dry ground in vulnerable coastal areas between the Alabama-Florida border and Grayton Beach, Florida. This surge could be exacerbated by large, dangerous waves. Coastal areas of Louisiana and Mississippi, including Mobile Bay, could experience 3 to 5 feet of flooding.

Isaias marks the first hurricane to make U.S. landfall since Hurricane Milton in 2024. Milton, a Category 3 storm with 120 mph winds, made landfall on Florida's west coast and resulted in at least 45 fatalities, according to disaster agencies and the NHC.

The NHC forecasts landfall to occur late Friday, between the Mississippi coast and the Florida Panhandle. The storm is also expected to bring flooding rain and a risk of tornadoes to the Southeast region through Saturday.