Hurricane Isaias makes landfall in Florida: Evacuations ordered
Category 2 Hurricane Isaias strikes Florida with 175 kph winds, forcing thousands to evacuate under states of emergency as up to 2.7m storm surges threaten the US.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- Category 2 Hurricane Isaias struck Florida's western panhandle on Friday with 175 kph winds.
- States of emergency were declared in Florida, Alabama, and Georgia with mandatory evacuations.
- Power outages affected over 350,000 customers in Florida and 170,000 in Alabama.
- The storm's center is forecasted to cross Alabama into the Tennessee Valley over the weekend.
Hurricane Isaias has struck the US state of Florida as a category 2 storm, bringing life-threatening floods and fierce winds clocked at 110 miles per hour, or approximately 175 kilometers per hour, forcing thousands of residents to evacuate their homes ahead of the impact on Friday evening.
States of emergency were declared across Florida, Alabama, and Georgia as meteorologists issued grave warnings about life-threatening storm surges capable of producing up to 9 feet or 2.7 meters of flooding in vulnerable coastal areas. This weather event marks the first Atlantic hurricane season storm delayed by Pacific El Niño conditions, representing the first time in over 30 years that a hurricane failed to form until October.
Mandatory evacuation orders were instituted across coastal communities in Florida and Alabama. Florida US Senator Rick Scott strongly urged residents in designated zones to leave immediately, posting a stark warning on social media instructing people not to wait and to get out immediately, while Alabama Governor Kay Ivey mandated evacuations for all non-residents and tourists in heavily impacted counties.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
"DO NOT WAIT! Get out NOW!"
Rick Scott, US Senator
The National Hurricane Center stated that hurricane-force winds extended outward up to 35 miles from Isaias' center, with tropical storm-force winds reaching up to 205 miles. Melissa Watson, a National Weather Service meteorologist based in Florida, told the BBC that the Florida Panhandle and Gulf Coast faced severe winds, heavy rainfall, and potential accompanying tornadoes as the hurricane barreled down.
The delayed formation of Hurricane Isaias until October highlights unusual meteorological patterns tied to El Niño conditions, which warm Pacific waters and alter Atlantic storm behavior. Coordinating multi-state emergency responses for a category 2 hurricane alongside concurrent Pacific storms demonstrates the complex challenges faced by disaster management agencies in the region.
John Guoth, a resident of Navarre, Florida, told the BBC that he and his wife decided to stay behind despite their entire street evacuating, securing outdoor items, bringing their ducks and chickens into the bathroom, and weighing down boats and trailers. Meanwhile, regional staple Waffle House closed its doors on Friday, and US President Donald Trump canceled plans to attend a college football game in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, shifting his schedule to a Tennessee rally instead.
Alongside Isaias, North America faces two additional storm systems this weekend, including Hurricane Simon threatening Mexico's Pacific coast as a category one storm and Tropical Storm Rachel heading toward the US-Mexico border, which has already generated high tides and coastal flooding in Newport Beach, California.
Source: BBC Science & Environment
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