4 dead, hundreds of thousands without power as Isaias weakens

4 dead, hundreds of thousands without power as Isaias weakens

Isaias marks the first hurricane of the Atlantic season

Multiple deaths after Isaias smashes into Gulf Coast as hurricane

Isaias left behind a trail of damaged rooftops, downed power lines and flooded roadways Saturday as it weakened and was no longer a hurricane.

At least four deaths were linked to the storm, including two people killed when trees fell onto homes in Florida and Alabama. Nearly 700,000 customers were without power by midday, and forecasters warned that flooding could stretch into the southern Appalachians.

The storm made landfall Friday near Destin, Fla., a Gulf Coast area known for powdery white-sand beaches and dotted with vacation homes, waterfront bars and seafood shacks. After it weakened overnight to a post-tropical cyclone, forecasters warned of potential flash flooding and tornadoes as the storm moved inland across Alabama. Hundreds of thousands of customers were without power.

The possibility of life-threatening storm surges still loomed for parts of the Florida Panhandle, along with a potential for four to eight inches (10 to 20 centimetres) of rain across southern Alabama, the Florida Panhandle and Big Bend over the weekend.

Early Saturday, Isaias was about 40 kilometres south-southwest of Montgomery, Ala., and nearly 170 kilometres south of Birmingham, Ala., with maximum sustained winds of 55 km/h, the National Hurricane Center said. It was expected to move into the Tennessee Valley later Saturday and Sunday.

"All tropical storm surge warnings have been discontinued as of this morning, but there are still high wind warnings for portions of the Southeast," Robbie Berg, a warning co-ordination meteorologist with the National Hurricane Center in Miami. "So even though it has become post-tropical, it still does remain a wind threat, as well as a heavy rainfall threat. We could see some areas of significant flash flooding over the next couple of days."

In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis said state roads were open and officials had not received any search and rescue requests while warning about the possibility for flooding in the day sahead. "Sometimes these things happen a day or two days after the storm goes through," he said.

A man tries to push a car as waves wash over the road on Friday ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Isaias, in Englewood, Fla. (Facebook/Reuters)

Isaias, which was the first hurricane of the Atlantic season, caused some damage when it came ashore.

The storm's rapid intensification was fuelled by record-warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico. The Gulf has seen substantial warming over the past few decades, and experts say the current marine heatwave was made far more likely due to human-caused climate change.

Hurricane Isaias makes landfall on U.S. Gulf Coast as Category 2 storm

While the warm waters provided the abundant energy that Isaias needed, its formation was also made possible by favourable atmospheric conditions, including weak upper-level winds that would otherwise have disrupted the burgeoning storm.

But just before landfall, upper-level wind shear increased, causing the storm to weaken slightly, dropping it back to Category 2 and making it more disorganized, expanding the area hit by damaging winds.

Strong hurricane winds blew the roof off a hotel in Pensacola and the city's mayor, D.C. Reeves, said on his Facebook page that the airport "took some damage." Some power was out downtown, he said, and there were trees and power lines down in some areas.

Gas stations in the Florida towns of East Milton and Destin suffered significant damage. A condominium also was damaged in Panama City, insulation from the building was spread across a parking lot.

Parts of southern Alabama also were flooded, with officials in Mobile reporting downed trees and power lines. Roads in Houston County, which is in the southeastern corner of the state, were closed because of similar conditions.

A person looks at an apartment roof that was torn off by Isaias in East Milton, Fla., on Saturday. (Octavio Jones/The Associated Press)

Tim Mowry, who rode out the storm from his home in Pensacola, said the wind was so intense it sounded like a train whistle as it whipped through a crack in his patio door. He lost power around 4:30 p.m. CT but was able to rely on a generator. Standing water also covered his backyard, and parts of his fence were ripped down, but overall he said the storm wasn’t as bad as he expected.

"As far as Pensacola-wise, we really got fortunate," Mowry said.

Isaias was the first hurricane to hit the eastern U.S. since Milton tore up the Gulf Coast of Florida in 2024.

Meanwhile, in the Pacific, Simon strengthened into a Category 4 hurricane as it approached Mexico’s coast.

Tropical storm Rachel was also expected to bring heavy winds and rain to northern Mexico and Southern California over the weekend.