Hurricane Isaias is now the first hurricane of the Atlantic season.
- The hurricane’s landfall will be late Friday afternoon/early evening near Pensacola and Mobile.
- Keep in mind that the skinny forecast cone is an indication of high forecast confidence but impacts – strong winds, heavy rain, storm surge, flooding & tornadoes will extend *well beyond* the cone.
- Few direct local impacts but peripheral bands of showers and storms will be heavy at times with at least some threat for strong/severe storms from time to time.
- Anyone with travel plans west on I-10 should stay up to date on the latest forecasts & consider amending travel plans.
- 2026 has established a record for the satellite era – since 1966 – with no Atlantic hurricanes through and beyond Sept. 11th, until last night, October 7th.
Read: Hurricane Isaias, severe storms could impact Georgia-Alabama game
DeSantis issues state of emergency for 25 counties including Baker, Columbia
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday evening issued a state of emergency for 25 counties that may see impacts from Isaias.
The counties include Baker, Bay, Calhoun, Columbia, Dixie, Escambia, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Gulf, Hamilton, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, Leon, Liberty, Madison, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Suwannee, Taylor, Walton, Wakulla, and Washington.
Oil production and tourism already affected
Ahead of the storm, oil and gas producers shut down a significant share of offshore production in the Gulf, which accounts for almost 15% of crude pumped annually in the U.S.
As of Wednesday about 25% of the oil production in the region was temporarily halted, taking about 511,000 barrels a day off the market, according to the Marine Minerals Administration. It said eight of the Gulf’s 371 manned oil platforms were evacuated…