Isaias becomes Category 2 hurricane, takes aim at Gulf Coast as evacuations begin

Isaias has intensified into a Category 2 hurricane as it moved towards the U.S. Gulf Coast on Thursday, October 8, 2026.

The first hurricane of the Atlantic season was forecast to strengthen and bring hazards in the Florida Panhandle, southern Alabama, and southern Mississippi when it makes landfall late Friday or early Saturday, said the Miami-based hurricane centre.

State authorities have issued evacuation orders for coastal areas in Zones A and B, including Okaloosa Island, parts of coastal Fort Walton Beach, Destin, Mary Esther, and Niceville.

“We are expecting Isaias to be a dangerous hurricane when it makes landfall,” said Michael Brennan, director of the National Hurricane Centre.

“Today is the day to prepare and get ready and be in your safe place by tomorrow as conditions will rapidly deteriorate along the northern Gulf Coast as Isaias approaches,” Brennan warned.

Isaias had maximum sustained winds of 105 mph (165 kph), surpassing the 96 mph (154 kph) threshold for a Category 2 storm, according to the National Hurricane Centre.

Isaias was moving northeast at 14 mph (22 kph) and was centred about 260 miles (145 kilometres) south of the mouth of the Mississippi River.

A hurricane centre had already issued a warning from Ocean Springs, Mississippi, to the Bay-Gulf County line in Florida.

The NHC officials also issued a storm surge warning stretching from the mouth of the Mississippi River to the Suwannee River.

The Atlantic hurricane season which normally runs from June 1 through November 30, and Isaias developed over four months after it began.