Bryan Norcross: Hurricane Isaias to make landfall this evening with widespread impacts across the Southeast

Last updated astatine 10 a.m. connected Oct. 9, 2026

Hurricane Isaias has intensified into a well-developed Category 3 hurricane and is making its determination toward the Gulf Coast. Thankfully, the upper-level winds are somewhat hostile, oregon it would person gotten a batch stronger similar Milton did 2 years ago. The highest winds volition apt alteration a spot aboriginal contiguous arsenic the strategy approaches landfall, but it won't alteration the impacts significantly.

LATEST FROM FOX WEATHER HURRICANE SPECIALIST BRYAN NORCROSS

Satellite imagery of Hurricane Isaias

(CIRA CSU)

Damaging winds, storm surge, and rainfall dense capable to origin flooding volition impact the full Florida Panhandle opening precocious this afternoon, peaking this evening. Overnight, beardown winds, which volition apt sound retired power, and torrential rainfall volition dispersed into Alabama, Georgia, and eastbound Mississippi. Tornadoes volition besides beryllium a menace successful the outer bands northbound and good eastbound of Isaias's center, including Tallahassee, North Florida, and into Georgia.

LIVE UPDATES: HURRICANE ISAIAS THREATENS THE GULF COAST WITH DANGEROUS LANDFALL TONIGHT

The El Niño-driven pitchy watercourse ripping crossed the southbound volition morph the tempest into thing of a comma shape. The worst upwind is apt to beryllium up of the halfway of circulation and successful the process of the comma good to the east. The pitchy watercourse volition energize torrential rain, and tornadoes are imaginable successful some the caput and process of the tempest arsenic it moves inland.

TIMELINE: WHEN AND WHERE HURRICANE ISAIAS WILL IMPACT THE GULF COAST

Strong upwind gusts are apt implicit a wide area, including the full State of Alabama and astir of Georgia, particularly adjacent and to the eastbound of wherever the halfway of Isaias tracks.

Bad upwind volition get good successful beforehand of the center, which volition transverse the seashore mid to precocious evening connected the existent schedule. Thunderstorms are apt on the I-10 corridor this day with the worst upwind arriving successful the evening. The menace of dense rainfall and tornadoes volition proceed done the nighttime and into time arsenic the comma-shaped hurricane pushes north.

HURRICANE ISAIAS EXPLODES INTO MONSTER CAT 3 STORM AS GULF COAST RESIDENTS URGED TO FINISH PREPARATIONS

Tornado threat

(FOX Weather / FOX Weather)

The hurricane volition merge with a ample upper-level low-pressure strategy to dispersed tropical moisture crossed the Southeast. The combo strategy volition gully moisture from the Atlantic arsenic good arsenic the Gulf, elevating the flood menace on the Carolina seashore successful summation to higher elevations good inland. Stay alert of flood alerts issued for your area.

Isaias volition propulsion Gulf h2o implicit the seashore on a ample information of the bluish Gulf. The National Hurricane Center is forecasting the tide to beryllium up to 7 feet supra mean tallness astir the clip of landfall. That assumes that landfall occurs astir precocious tide time. If the tide is lower, evidently the interaction would beryllium a spot diminished, but determination isn't overmuch tidal plaything connected the bluish Gulf beaches.

Storm surge forecast

(FOX Weather / FOX Weather)

Early contiguous is the past accidental to maneuver earlier the upwind starts deteriorating this afternoon. Stay alert of the alerts from the National Weather Service and instructions from section officials.

Tomorrow is simply a large shot Saturday crossed the Southeast. If you are attending a game, see cautiously earlier getting connected the road. Trees mightiness beryllium down, powerfulness mightiness beryllium out, and flooding rainfall is apt successful immoderate areas.

In Mexico and the U.S. Southwest

Tropical Storm Rachel is heading for landfall successful the bluish portion of Baja California but is forecast to way implicit the southeastern portion of the State of California earlier arsenic it’s morphing into a non-tropical storm.

TROPICAL STORM RACHEL TARGETS THE WEST COAST WITH FLOODING RAIN AND GUSTY WINDS

Pacific Basin connected Oct. 9, 2026

(FOX Weather)

Tropical moisture from Rachel volition dispersed crossed Southern California connected Sunday connected its mode to the Desert Southwest and into the Intermountain West wherever flooding is possible. Gusty downpours look apt from the remnants of the tropical strategy adjacent the way of the center. Stay alert of section alerts from the National Weather Service.

Farther south, Hurricane Simon is heading for landfall northbound of Manzanillo and southbound of Puerto Vallarta. It is forecast to intensify into a Category 4 earlier impacting the coast. It volition walk adjacent to Puerto Vallarta astir Sunday. It's antithetic for a hurricane to impact that metropolis directly. People successful Manzanillo and Mazatlan should besides wage adjacent attraction to the forecast.