Hurricane Isaias was moving toward the northern Gulf Coast on Thursday, with forecasts warning of life-threatening storm surge, damaging winds and heavy rain across a broad stretch of coastline. Storm-surge warnings extended from the mouth of the Mississippi River to the Suwannee River in Florida, while hurricane warnings covered parts of Mississippi and Florida.
The National Hurricane Center’s 0900 UTC advisory placed the storm’s center near 23.3°N, 91.2°W, with maximum sustained winds of 70 knots, or about 80 mph, and forecast further strengthening. The Associated Press later reported winds of about 85 mph, a measurement from a later advisory period.
Forecast hazards and timing
Forecasters expected Isaias to reach the coast late Friday or early Saturday. The timing and projected impacts remained forecasts as of Thursday, rather than reports of observed landfall or damage.
The storm-surge warning area ran from the Mississippi River’s mouth eastward to Florida’s Suwannee River. Hurricane warnings covered the coastline from Ocean Springs, Mississippi, to the Bay and Gulf county line in Florida, according to the Guardian’s account of the forecast.
The AP reported that storm surge could reach 5 to 7 feet in parts of Alabama and Mississippi. That projection, like the broader warnings, described a potential hazard ahead of the storm, not water levels already observed.
The Guardian characterized millions of people as being under warnings. The reports reviewed established the warning areas, but did not independently verify a population count.
Preparations underway
Authorities were taking precautionary steps ahead of the expected arrival. The AP reported mandatory evacuations in some coastal parts of Florida, school closures, and emergency declarations in Florida and Alabama. The Guardian also reported emergency declarations and local evacuation orders.
Those measures were preparations for forecast conditions. The material available Thursday did not establish whether Isaias would make landfall as predicted or what damage it might cause.
Storm strengthened into season’s first hurricane
Isaias became the first hurricane of the 2026 Atlantic season on Wednesday night, October 7, according to both the Guardian and AP. The Guardian reported that the system had formed as a tropical storm earlier that day.
The storm’s reported wind speeds changed between advisories: the National Hurricane Center listed 70 knots at 0900 UTC Thursday, while AP later reported about 85 mph. The figures refer to different reporting times, and should not be read as simultaneous measurements.