HURRICANE ISAIAS NEARS US GULF COAST WITH DANGEROUS WINDS

Hurricane Isaias has strengthened into the first hurricane of the 2026 Atlantic season and is heading towards the northern US Gulf Coast, according to the National Hurricane Centre in Miami. The storm is forecast to make landfall late on Friday or early on Saturday in the Florida Panhandle, southern Alabama and southern Mississippi, the centre said. Hurricane warnings are in effect from Ocean Springs, Mississippi, to the Bay/Gulf county line in Florida, while storm surge warnings cover the area from the mouth of the Mississippi River to the Suwannee River in Florida, according to the National Weather Service. Officials have urged residents in affected areas to follow guidance from local authorities and evacuate if instructed to do so. Schools and some local government offices have closed in anticipation of the storm.

Wind speed estimates varied slightly between sources, with one report citing sustained winds of nearly 130 km/h (80 mph) and another putting them at 85 mph (137 km/h), both with higher gusts recorded on Thursday. Forecasters said Isaias passed to the north of Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula before tracking towards the northern Gulf coast. The National Hurricane Centre's director, Michael Brennan, said the storm was expected to bring "multiple dangerous hazards" to much of the northern Gulf Coast from Friday into Saturday and described it as likely to be a "dangerous hurricane when it makes landfall". The National Weather Service said Isaias was expected to strengthen further and produce a "life-threatening storm surge" along parts of the coast.

Rainfall of three to six inches is forecast, with isolated totals of up to 10 inches, according to the National Hurricane Centre. Heavy rain and flash flooding are expected to extend inland over the weekend, potentially reaching the Tennessee Valley and the southern Appalachian Mountains. Low-lying coastal areas are considered particularly vulnerable to flooding and storm surge, the centre said. Millions of people across Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida are under hurricane or storm surge warnings, according to weather officials. Brennan said on Thursday that the storm could reach near-major hurricane strength by Friday.