Hurricane Isaias Brought 117-MPH Gusts and Tornadoes to the Southeast
The first hurricane of the Atlantic season took its time getting here, but it made up for lost time as it slammed into the Florida Panhandle with winds over 100 mph, heavy rain, and destructive storm surge. Here is a look back at how this historic storm progressed over the last few days.
Isaias Makes History as Latest Hurricane to Form in the Atlantic Basin
Hurricane Isaias came ashore late Friday as a Category 2 storm near Destin, Florida. The storm briefly intensified to a major Category 3 event in the Gulf before weakening slightly just prior to landfall.
At least four deaths have been blamed on Isaias. Approximately 930,000 customers were without power during the peak of the outages on Saturday morning. That number is now under 150,000 as crews race to restore power.
As of Monday afternoon, Isaias has been downgraded to a Tropical Wind and Rainstorm as it speeds through the eastern U.S. Forecasters predict that the lingering effects will dissipate shortly, ushering in drier conditions to the waterlogged region.
Looking back at some of Isaias' most notable metrics, the storm produced a top wind gust of 117 mph at Oriole Beach. Storm surge hit 5.51 feet at Panama City Beach. Nearby Apalachicola notched a surge of 4.16 feet. Rainfall totals exceeded the 8-inch mark across western portions of the Florida Panhandle.
Several beach communities in the panhandle region sustained significant damage to roofs as the winds ripped along the coast. Pensacola Beach bore the brunt of the storm's wrath, with drone footage showing damaged homes, overturned vehicles, and more.
Fort Walton Beach was the epicenter of the flooding as water rushed into homes, businesses, and cars. The city of Pensacola reported damage from fallen trees.
As predicted, Isaias was a prolific tornado producer as it roared inland. Tornadoes were confirmed on video near Newington, Georgia, and into parts of South Carolina's Allendale and Barnwell counties. By the end of the weekend, there had been 23 tornado reports in the Carolinas and Georgia connected to Isaias. Survey crews have confirmed at least three EF0 tornadoes packing winds up to 85 mph, as well as four EF1 tornadoes, defined as winds of 86 to 110 mph.
Recovery efforts were hampered over the weekend due to the extended power outages, downed trees, and damaged infrastructure. Thousands of residents were under boil-water notices in the Florida Panhandle over the weekend, adding to the general misery.
The moisture associated with Isaias spread to the north as the weekend progressed, reaching the mid-Atlantic by Sunday morning. A large portion of the Carolinas was also impacted by gusty thunderstorms as what was left of the storm headed in this direction.
Isaias Was One of Three Tropical Weather Threats in North America
Isaias was one prong of a triple-threat across North America over the last few days. What was once Hurricane Rachel prompted rare tropical weather alerts for Southern California. This part of the Golden State and the Desert Southwest were put under tropical storm watches as the remnants of Rachel made their way into the region.
It was only the second time in history that Southern California was put under a tropical alert. The other time this happened was in 2023 when Hurricane Hilary unleashed a deluge of rain across California.
Lastly, Hurricane Simon exploded into a Category 4 hurricane in the Eastern Pacific over the weekend. The storm is now a Category 2 storm moving up the coastal region of western Mexico.
As if all of this was not enough, the weekend kicked off with a 7.7 magnitude earthquake in Panama. The third-strongest earthquake thus far this year triggered a tsunami threat in parts of Central America.
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