@cbsmiami: Hurricane Isaias intensified Thursday and is expected to make landfall along the U.S. Gulf Coast late Friday or early Saturday, threatening Mississippi, Alabama and the western Florida Panhandle. The storm became the first hurricane of the 2026 Atlantic season after strengthening from a tropical storm Wednesday night. A hurricane warning is in effect from the Mississippi-Alabama state line to Panama City, Florida, while Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency in more than two dozen counties. Mandatory evacuations were ordered in parts of Florida’s Okaloosa and Walton counties, with voluntary evacuations in coastal Alabama. The National Hurricane Center said additional strengthening was expected, with Isaias bringing dangerous winds, storm surge and heavy rainfall. The storm could produce 3 to 7 inches of rain, with up to 15 inches in some coastal areas, raising the risk of flooding and possible tornadoes across parts of Alabama, Georgia and Florida. Isaias became the latest first hurricane of an Atlantic season in 121 years, narrowly missing the Oct. 8, 1905, record. The 2026 season has been unusually quiet, which meteorologists largely attribute to a strong El Niño that has produced conditions unfavorable for Atlantic tropical systems. #hurricane #isaias #weather #storm

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Thursday 08 October 2026 18:01:54 GMT