World · Life-threatening Hurricane Isaias makes landfall in Florida
Hurricane Isaias makes landfall in Florida as Category 2 storm
Why it matters
The first Atlantic hurricane of an unusually delayed season threatens life-threatening storm surge, extreme winds, and flooding across the Gulf Coast, prompting mass evacuations across Florida, Alabama, and Georgia.
The brief
Hurricane Isaias made landfall in Florida's western panhandle Friday evening with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph, having weakened from Category 3 status.[1][2][3] The National Hurricane Center warned of life-threatening storm surge capable of producing up to 9 feet of flooding in some areas along the Gulf Coast.[4]
Florida and Alabama ordered mandatory evacuations for coastal communities and non-residents in affected counties.[5][6] Florida Senator Rick Scott called on residents to evacuate immediately, while Alabama Governor Kay Ivey ordered the evacuation of all tourists and visitors from key counties.[7][8] The storm's hurricane-force winds extend 35 miles from its center, with tropical storm-force winds reaching 205 miles outward.[9][10]
Isaias is expected to move across Alabama and into the Tennessee Valley over the weekend.[11] The storm represents a historic milestone: it is the first Atlantic hurricane of the season and the first to form as late as October in more than 30 years, a delay attributed to El Niño conditions in the Pacific.[12][13]
Two other major storm systems are also affecting North America. Hurricane Simon is approaching Mexico's Pacific coast as a Category 1 hurricane expected to intensify to Category 4 by Saturday before making landfall near Puerto Vallarta on Sunday.[14][15][16] Tropical Storm Rachel, a downgraded hurricane, is heading toward the US-Mexico border along the Pacific, with impacts already visible in Southern California where high tides and storm swells have flooded streets in Newport Beach.[17][18][19]
What we don’t know yet
- Hurricane Isaias made landfall in Florida's western panhandle Friday evening Only bbc.co.uk reports this so far.
- Hurricane Isaias had maximum sustained winds of 110 mph at landfall Only bbc.co.uk reports this so far.
- Hurricane Isaias weakened from Category 3 status before landfall Only bbc.co.uk reports this so far.
- The National Hurricane Center warned of storm surge capable of producing up to 9 feet of flooding in some areas along the Gulf Coast Only bbc.co.uk reports this so far.
Quick answers
- What happened?
- Hurricane Isaias made landfall in Florida's western panhandle Friday evening with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph, having weakened from Category 3 status. The National Hurricane Center warned of life-threatening storm surge capable of producing up to 9 feet of flooding in some areas along the Gulf Coast.
- Why does it matter?
- The first Atlantic hurricane of an unusually delayed season threatens life-threatening storm surge, extreme winds, and flooding across the Gulf Coast, prompting mass evacuations across Florida, Alabama, and Georgia.
- How was "Hurricane Isaias makes landfall in Florida as Category 2 storm" verified?
- Citelink grounded this brief in 1 source, including BBC World. Every claim links to its citation in the sources list below.
Grounding — every claim checked against sources
of 19 grounded12Hurricane Isaias made landfall in Florida's western panhandle Friday evening
Hurricane Isaias had maximum sustained winds of 110 mph at landfall
Hurricane Isaias weakened from Category 3 status before landfall
The National Hurricane Center warned of storm surge capable of producing up to 9 feet of flooding in some areas along the Gulf Coast
Florida ordered mandatory evacuations for coastal communities and non-residents in affected counties
Alabama ordered mandatory evacuations for coastal communities and non-residents in affected counties
Florida Senator Rick Scott called on residents to evacuate immediately
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey ordered the evacuation of all tourists and visitors from key counties
Hurricane Isaias's hurricane-force winds extend 35 miles from its center
Hurricane Isaias's tropical storm-force winds reach 205 miles outward from its center
Isaias is expected to move across Alabama and into the Tennessee Valley over the weekend
Isaias is the first Atlantic hurricane of the season
Isaias is the first Atlantic hurricane to form as late as October in more than 30 years
Hurricane Simon is approaching Mexico's Pacific coast as a Category 1 hurricane
Hurricane Simon is expected to intensify to Category 4 by Saturday
Hurricane Simon is expected to make landfall near Puerto Vallarta on Sunday
Tropical Storm Rachel is a downgraded hurricane
Tropical Storm Rachel is heading toward the US-Mexico border along the Pacific
High tides and storm swells have flooded streets in Newport Beach, Southern California
Don't take our word for it
Run any claim in this Brief through Citelink's verification engine yourself.
Sources
How this brief was made
Citelink’s automated pipeline wrote this summary from the source listed above, then checked each claim against them before publishing. Briefs are not individually reviewed by a person before they go live, so read the original reporting for the full story.
Spotted an error? Request a correction · Corrections policy