Hurricane Isaias Kills Four After Landfall in Florida Panhandle as Power Outages Persist

Hurricane Isaias made landfall near Destin, Florida, late on Friday, October 9, 2026, as a Category 2 storm with sustained winds of 105 mph. At least four people died. Hundreds of thousands of customers remained without power across the Southeast as the system weakened and moved inland.

Isaias was the first hurricane of the 2026 Atlantic season. It formed on October 6, strengthened rapidly in the Gulf of Mexico and peaked as a Category 3 major hurricane before weakening slightly prior to landfall. It was the latest first hurricane of an Atlantic season in 121 years. The storm tied a record for the latest date a first hurricane was recorded since 1905.

Two deaths occurred in Florida and two in Alabama. Officials said trees falling on homes killed two of the victims. Wind gusts exceeded 110 mph in parts of the Florida Panhandle. Storm surge reached more than five feet in some coastal locations. More than 700,000 customers lost power at the peak. By Sunday the number had fallen but remained above 300,000 in Florida alone, with additional outages in Alabama, Georgia and the Carolinas.

The National Hurricane Center said Isaias became post-tropical over Alabama on Saturday morning. Its remnants continued to produce heavy rain, flash flooding and tornadoes as they moved toward the Appalachians and mid-Atlantic. Rainfall totals exceeded a foot in parts of Alabama and Florida. Tornadoes were reported in Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina.

Shell and Chevron redeployed staff to Gulf platforms after the storm passed. The U.S. Energy Department authorized an emergency exchange of up to four million barrels from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to address supply disruptions. Highways and bridges reopened as the system weakened. Emergency declarations covered dozens of counties in Florida, Alabama and Mississippi.

Damage included torn roofs, broken windows and flooding in lower-lying areas of Pensacola Beach and Navarre Beach. A high school gymnasium in Milton, Florida, lost its roof. Utility crews, including thousands of linemen, worked to restore power. The storm's path took it near major oil platforms south of Mississippi before landfall.

By Sunday the remnants were tracking toward Tennessee and the central Appalachians with continued flood risks. Isolated tornadoes remained possible in the Carolinas. The system was forecast to accelerate into the western North Atlantic and dissipate early in the week.

Isaias was the first mainland U.S. hurricane landfall in exactly two years, since Milton struck western Florida on October 9, 2024. Its late arrival ended a stretch of eight named storms that failed to reach hurricane strength. The combination of wind, surge, rain and tornadoes produced moderate but widespread impacts across the Gulf Coast and inland areas. Recovery of power and assessment of flood damage will continue as the remnants clear the region.