Hurricane Isaias crashed ashore near Destin, Florida, at 8:30 p.m. CT Friday as a Category 2 hurricane with sustained winds of 105 mph, the first hurricane of the 2026 Atlantic season and the latest first landfall on record. The storm weakened rapidly as it moved inland but left a trail of destruction across the Florida Panhandle and southern Alabama before its remnants pushed north toward the Tennessee Valley on Saturday.
Both deaths came from falling trees, an underreported killer in severe weather. In Escambia County, Florida, the sheriff's office confirmed that a woman was killed when a tree fell on a home near Pensacola Beach. In Birmingham, Alabama, a tree crashed into a home and trapped two people; one fell through the floor, and the other was pinned beneath the tree and confirmed dead, according to weather.com's live updates.
The power toll climbed sharply on Saturday. More than 858,000 homes and businesses were without electricity across the Southeast, according to PowerOutage.us — 436,147 in Florida, 297,684 in Alabama and 95,162 in Georgia. In Escambia County alone, which includes Pensacola, nearly 130,000 customers were dark as emergency crews worked through the night to clear downed trees and debris.
Wind was the storm's most dramatic weapon. The highest gusts included 117 mph near Oriole Beach, Florida, 102 mph in Pensacola, 75 mph in Orange Beach, Alabama, 68 mph in Warner Robins, Georgia, and 49 mph as far inland as Birmingham. In Pensacola, one powerful gust tore the roof clean off a motel, a scene captured on video by a local radio station. Images shared by the Walton County Sheriff's office showed snapped trees, damaged homes and debris scattered across coastal communities on Saturday morning.
Rain has been the storm's other major threat. Bellwood, Alabama, recorded nearly 13 inches of rain in 13 hours, while a weather station in Florida measured 12.06 inches in 24 hours — including 9.67 inches in a single three-hour window. A flash flood warning covered the greater Atlanta metro area, including Clayton, DeKalb, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry and Rockdale counties, until 1:15 p.m. EDT Saturday. Forecasters warned of a level 4 out of 5 flood risk for Atlanta, Athens and Greenville, with 3 to 5 inches of rain expected widely and isolated totals reaching 10 inches. The flood threat stretches from Florida to Ohio and will spread to the mid-Atlantic on Sunday.
Tornadoes remain a concern across the Florida Panhandle, Georgia and the Carolinas, while high wind warnings stretch from central Georgia into parts of Virginia, including Atlanta, Huntsville and Asheville. Gusts up to 50 mph are expected through Sunday morning. Even though Isaias is no longer a tropical system, storm surge and tropical storm warnings remain in place for parts of the Florida Panhandle and eastern Alabama.
Travel has been heavily disrupted. FlightAware reported more than 700 delays and nearly 300 cancellations at U.S. airports on Saturday, with Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson, Nashville, Charlotte, Pensacola and Tallahassee among the hardest hit. Delays could extend to Washington, New York City and Pittsburgh on Sunday as the remnants push north.
Recovery work began before sunrise. Florida National Guard soldiers were clearing roads in Washington County by 5:50 a.m., and Destin officials asked residents to stay home, document damage and conserve water until power is restored. In Orange Beach, Alabama, about 70 miles west of landfall, officials reported damage was minimal and lifted a citywide curfew as bridges reopened. Federal emergency declarations for Florida and Alabama have been approved, and all three states declared states of emergency.
As of Saturday, the storm's center was about 100 miles south of Birmingham, moving north at 14 mph. Forecasters expect it to drift through Alabama on Saturday and into the Appalachians on Sunday, spreading heavy rain far beyond its center. Separately, meteorologists are watching Tropical Storm Rachel, which has triggered the first tropical storm watch for Southern California since 2023, with 1 to 5 inches of rain and 50 mph gusts possible there this weekend.
Related: Hurricane Isaias Slams Into the Florida Panhandle, Leaving Hundreds of Thousands Without Power and Isaias Moves Inland After "Freight Train" Gulf Coast Strike: 600,000 Without Power, Flooding Spreads.