Hurricane Isaias threatens northern Gulf Coast with heavy rain, flooding. See maps, forecast path.

Updated on: October 8, 2026 / 12:03 PM EDT / CBS News

Hurricane Isaias was intensifying early Thursday and is expected to make landfall along the U.S. Gulf Coast late Friday or early Saturday, threatening parts of Mississippi, Alabama and the western part of the Florida Panhandle. It became the first hurricane of the 2026 Atlantic season after strengthening from a tropical storm late Wednesday night.

A hurricane warning is in effect for the northern Gulf Coast, from the Mississippi-Alabama state line, across southern Alabama, to Panama City, Florida.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for more than two dozen counties in his state, and Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey issued a state of emergency for 40 counties.

Isaias, pronounced "ees-ah-EE-ahs," had maximum sustained winds of 85 mph at 11 a.m. ET, and its core was located about 380 miles south of the mouth of the Mississippi River, according to the National Hurricane Center. Hurricane-force winds extended outward up to 15 miles from the storm's center, and tropical-storm-force winds extended outward up to 90 miles.

"Additional strengthening is expected through early Friday, and Isaias should remain a dangerous hurricane as it approaches the northern Gulf Coast on Friday…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/moneywatch/