Hurricane Isaias has made landfall in the US state of Florida and is expected to bring life-threatening flooding and winds that have forced thousands to evacuate. The storm weakened slightly to a category 2 hurricane, with 110 mph (175 kph) winds, before ramming into Florida's western panhandle on Friday evening. Florida, Alabama, and Georgia have each issued states of emergency as meteorologists warned of life-threatening storm surge that could cause up to 9 feet (2.7m) of flooding in some areas.
Isaias is one of three storm systems affecting North America this weekend, with the two others hitting Mexico and Southern California in the El-Niño fuelled warm waters of the Pacific Ocean. Both Florida and Alabama instituted mandatory evacuations due to the storm. In Florida, those evacuations includes coastal communities in direct aim of the powerful storm.
Florida Senator Rick Scott encouraged residents in designated areas to evacuate as soon as possible, as he warned in a social media post: "DO NOT WAIT! Get out NOW!" Governor of Alabama Kay Ivey issued a mandatory evacuation for all non-residents, tourists and visitors in key counties likely to be heavily affected by the storm. Hurricane Isaias is the first hurricane in the Atlantic's hurricane season, which largely has been delayed due to El Niño conditions in the Pacific.
It marks the first time in more than 30 years that a hurricane did not form till October. The storm is likely to bring "life-threatening storm surge" to the US Gulf Coast, the National Hurricane Center warned. After hitting Florida, the centre of Isaias is forecast to move across Alabama and into the Tennessee Valley on Saturday and Sunday, the National Weather Service said late on Friday.
As of Friday evening, hurricane-force winds extended outward up to 35 miles (55 km) from Isaias' centre, and tropical storm-force winds extended as far as 205 miles (335 km). The Florida Panhandle and the rest of the US Gulf Coast are facing fierce winds and heavy rain as the hurricane barrels down. There is also the potential for accompanying tornadoes, Melissa Watson, a Florida-based meteorologist at the National Weather Service told the BBC.
For those who have not evacuated, "the main thing will be having multiple ways to receive warnings" about tornadoes and storm surges, Watson said. "If you are near the coast, being able to move to higher ground," is also essential in the event of storm surges. "We want people to be safe, so don't go out there trying to look for damage ... to post on social media," she added.
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