Hurricane Isaias on Track for Florida Panhandle Landfall
The storm is expected to strengthen into a major hurricane before reaching the coast Friday evening.
Hurricane Isaias is forecast to make landfall on Florida's Panhandle Friday evening as a high-end Category 2 storm, with the potential to strengthen into a major Category 3 hurricane before reaching the coast. Landfall is anticipated between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m., with the most destructive conditions expected near the storm's center and to its east.
A hurricane warning is in effect from Biloxi, Mississippi, eastward to Panama City, Florida, with wind gusts potentially reaching 75 to 110 mph. A tropical storm warning extends along a wider swath of the Gulf Coast, including parts of Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida, where gusts could reach 50 to 75 mph. Additionally, a tropical storm watch is in place for areas further inland, including parts of Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi.
Storm surge of 5 to 7 feet is possible along the coasts of Alabama and the Florida Panhandle, from Dauphin Island to Port St. Joe. In some areas, rising water could be accompanied by waves up to 30 feet.
Rainfall totals of 4 to 8 inches are expected across southern Alabama, the Florida Panhandle, and Florida's Big Bend region, with isolated amounts reaching up to 15 inches. The coastal Carolinas and southern Appalachians could see 3 to 5 inches, with isolated totals up to 10 inches. Widespread rainfall of 1 to 3 inches is anticipated across the rest of the Southeast, with some localized areas receiving up to 5 inches.
Flash flooding and urban flooding are likely across the affected regions, with considerable impacts possible across southern Alabama, the Florida Panhandle, and southwestern Georgia. River flooding is also anticipated.
The last hurricane to make landfall in the United States was Milton, which came ashore south of Tampa, Florida, on October 9, 2024. The year 2025 marked the first year in a decade without a hurricane landfall in the U.S. before Isaias' current approach.