Isaias weakens to post-tropical cyclone as four die and power outages persist

Hurricane Isaias made landfall on the US Gulf Coast in the Florida Panhandle, coming ashore near Destin as a Category 2 storm. It had peaked as a Category 3 before weakening as it approached the coast. The storm was the first hurricane of the Atlantic season, forming after an unusually quiet start that forecasters linked to a strong El Nino. It rapidly intensified from the southern Gulf of Mexico late on Wednesday into Thursday, helped by exceptionally warm sea surface temperatures and a marine heatwave.

Landfall brought an extreme wind warning for parts of the Florida Panhandle, with residents told to seek immediate shelter. Storm surge, flash flooding and tornadoes were the main risks. Authorities warned of a life-threatening storm surge of up to seven feet and rainfall of up to 10 to 15 inches. Several counties issued mandatory evacuations, coastal communities were evacuated and businesses closed. States of emergency were declared in Alabama, Georgia and Florida. Flights were grounded.

Winds topped 100 mph in places, with earlier forecasts of gusts up to 140 mph. More than half a million homes and businesses lost power, with later figures showing more than 300,000 customers without power in Florida and 200,000 in Alabama. One analyst put the number affected across Alabama and Florida at more than 400,000 customers. Damage was reported in Pensacola, where a gas station canopy collapsed, and in Milton and Gulf Breeze, where apartment blocks were exposed and roofs were torn off. A tornado was captured in Georgia, and the remnants were moving towards Tennessee. At least four people died. In one Florida county, officials reported one death. Some coastal areas did not take the worst of the storm, and many homes and businesses stayed intact, but the wind still caused widespread damage. Linemen from across the country were staged to restore power, though thousands of people inland remained without electricity, and some water supplies had only just been restored.

After landfall, Isaias weakened to a post-tropical cyclone and continued to bring heavy rain and strong winds inland. It was the first US hurricane landfall since Hurricane Milton struck Tampa as a Category 3 storm two years earlier. Isaias was one of three active storms threatening North America over the weekend. Hurricane Simon was a Category 4 storm in the Pacific, packing maximum sustained winds of 150 mph, or 240 km/h, and was forecast to strike Mexico's southwest coast late on Saturday or early on Sunday, with a hurricane warning issued for Manzanillo. Tropical storm Rachel was also brewing in the Pacific. It had already sent large waves into Long Beach, California, destroying several beachside homes and prompting evacuation calls. Rachel was expected to bring heavy rain and gusty winds to Southern California and the southwestern US early next week.