Hurricane Isaias is currently tracking toward the Florida Panhandle, with landfall anticipated between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Friday evening. The storm is classified as a high-end Category 2 hurricane and could strengthen to a Category 3 before reaching the U.S. Gulf Coast.

This storm poses a significant threat to the region, which has been preparing for its arrival. The forecast indicates that Isaias could bring destructive conditions, including strong winds and prolonged power outages, particularly to coastal areas.

Rain has already begun to impact the Florida Panhandle early Friday, with tropical-storm-force winds expected to arrive later in the morning and hurricane-force winds in the afternoon. Landfall is projected to occur within 40 miles east or west of Pensacola, with the most severe weather likely affecting areas between Pensacola and Destin, and extending to Panama City.

The potential for destructive conditions and extended power outages has prompted widespread preparations. A hurricane warning is in effect for a significant stretch of the coastline, from eastern Mississippi to Mexico Beach, Florida, anticipating wind gusts between 75 and 110 mph.

A tropical storm warning is also in place for areas extending inland, including parts of Alabama and Georgia, where wind gusts could reach 50 to 75 mph. Further inland, a tropical storm watch is active for areas including Birmingham, Alabama, and Albany, Georgia, with possible gusts up to 55 mph.

In addition to high winds, the storm is expected to bring a significant storm surge. Coastal areas from Dauphin Island, Alabama, to Port St. Joe, Florida, could experience a surge of 5 to 7 feet. In Mississippi, a surge of 4 to 6 feet is possible, with waves reaching up to 30 feet in some locations.

Heavy rainfall is also a major concern, with totals of 4 to 8 inches expected across southern Alabama, the Florida Panhandle, and Florida's Big Bend region, with isolated amounts reaching up to 15 inches. The Carolinas and southern Appalachians could see 3 to 5 inches, with isolated amounts up to 10 inches. The remainder of the Southeast is forecast to receive 1 to 3 inches.

Flash flooding and urban flooding are likely across the affected regions, with considerable impacts anticipated in southern Alabama, the Florida Panhandle, and southwestern Georgia. River flooding is also a possibility as the storm progresses inland. The last hurricane to make landfall in the U.S. was Milton on October 9, 2024, near Siesta Key, Florida.