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Hurricane Isaias threatens northern Gulf Coast with heavy rain, flooding. See maps, forecast path.
CBS News • • nation
Key Points:
- Hurricane Isaias intensified into the first hurricane of the 2026 Atlantic season and is expected to make landfall along the U.S. Gulf Coast late Friday or early Saturday, threatening Mississippi, Alabama, and the western Florida Panhandle.
- Hurricane warnings are in effect from the Mississippi-Alabama state line to Panama City, Florida, with mandatory evacuations ordered in parts of Florida and voluntary evacuations in southeastern Alabama.
- Florida and Alabama governors have declared states of emergency, with government buildings closing in nine Alabama counties, and the U.S. Coast Guard is urging seafarers to stay vigilant ahead of the storm.
- The National Hurricane Center warns of heavy rains, storm surge, damaging winds, and potential tornadoes in coastal areas, forecasting up to 15 inches of rain and significant flooding risks across the Southeast.
- Isaias is the latest first hurricane of the Atlantic season since 1905, with the 2026 season being unusually quiet so far; the season runs from June 1 to November 30.
