Isaias weakens to post-tropical cyclone after Florida landfall, with flooding and tornado risks
Isaias weakened after striking Florida as a Category 2 hurricane, leaving widespread power outages and continued flood, storm surge and tornado risks across the southeastern United States.
Destin, United States. Isaias weakened to a post-tropical cyclone on Saturday after rapidly losing wind speed following landfall on the Florida coast as a Category 2 hurricane, the first of the 2026 Atlantic season. The US National Hurricane Center said the storm continued to pose risks inland.
Storm crosses southern Alabama
The cyclone was crossing southern Alabama after making landfall earlier near Destin, Florida. It was about 55 miles (89 km) south-southwest of Montgomery, Alabama, with maximum sustained winds of 65 mph (100 kmh), the National Hurricane Center said in its latest advisory.
Isaias was expected to continue weakening while producing gusty winds well inland, before falling below gale force later on Saturday.
The center warned of possible storm surges, urban and river flooding, and flash floods across the region. Considerable impacts were likely across much of southern Alabama and the Florida Panhandle into southwest Georgia.
A tornado risk was expected to persist overnight across the Florida Panhandle and north Florida into southern Georgia. The threat was also expected to continue on Saturday across parts of the Florida Panhandle, Georgia and the Carolinas.
Road closures and power outages
Alabama’s emergency management agency said the hurricane had downed trees and power lines, making travel hazardous in Houston County, which was under a flash flood warning.
“Due to the impacts of Hurricane Isaias, all Houston County roads are closed until further notice,” the agency posted on X. “These road closures will remain in effect until conditions are deemed safe for travel.”
More than 430,000 people in Florida and nearly 297,000 in Alabama lost power as the storm hit shore, according to power outage tracking firm PowerOutage.us.
Federal emergency response
President Donald Trump, asked about hurricane preparations by reporters outside the White House, said: “We’re watching it very closely, the hurricane,” adding that it was “under control.”
“Emergency declarations have been approved in Florida and Alabama to ensure federal resources are available to respond to Isaias,” Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said on X.
This news item was generated automatically by Cyprus Inform from publicly available materials. Report an error →