Isaias downgraded to post-tropical cyclone after landfall in Florida

A drone view shows the Pensacola Beach Boardwalk area as Hurricane Isaias moves through the Gulf of Mexico, in Pensacola Beach, Florida, US, October 9, 2026. MARCO BELLO / REUTERS Isaias weakened from a hurricane to a post-tropical cyclone early Saturday, October 10, after it made landfall in northwestern Florida, where it lashed the US Gulf Coast with heavy rain and strong winds, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. "Isaias has very rapidly weakened over Alabama and has transitioned into a post-tropical cyclone," the NHC said in an update. The cyclone should move northward and north-northeastward over the weekend and gradually weaken as it moves across the Tennessee and Ohio valleys, the NHC added. Isaias earlier made landfall near Destin, Florida, with authorities warning of "life-threatening storm surge impacting Gulf Coast as dangerous hurricane conditions and flash flooding spread inland." Coastal communities saw mandatory evacuations and shuttered businesses as Isaias became the first hurricane of an Atlantic season that kicked off in June, held in check by a historic El Niño phenomenon that typically spurs more major storms in the Pacific. In Pensacola, about 80 kilometers west of Destin in Florida, an Agence France-Presse reporter witnessed howling winds rip the roofs from some homes and businesses, snapping tree branches as the power went out. "Things are flying really fast, and I've never seen wind this fast before, so it's intense, it's scary," Jonathan Ramos, a 40-year-old government employee, told AFP at his hotel in Pensacola, where the power went out. "I don't recommend people coming down here for fun to do this." More than 300,000 customers in Florida and 200,000 in Alabama were without power on Friday night, according to poweroutage.us. Earlier Friday, caravans of repair trucks rolled through the cities of Pensacola and Navarre to staging areas in preparation for power outages, AFP reporters on the scene said. Water service to buildings was suspended. Late arrival Fueled by record-warm Gulf waters heated by climate change, Isaias underwent rapid intensification and was the first hurricane to strike the US mainland since Milton in 2024. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis told a press briefing earlier Friday that "we've got a massive amount of supplies and personnel ready to respond once the storm hits." President Donald Trump cancelled his visit to Saturday's college football game between the University of Georgia and the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama because of the storm. Mandatory evacuation orders are in effect in several Florida counties, but impacts are expected across a swathe of the southeastern United States, with hurricane-force winds up to 100 miles inland. Storm surge combined with the tide is expected to flood normally dry areas, with the NHC warning that water could reach as high as nine feet around the Alabama-Florida border. Heavy rainfall could trigger flash flooding and push rivers over their banks. Two airports in northwestern Florida have suspended operations. Isaias's late arrival this season is largely due to an El Niño of historic strength. El Niño, the warm phase of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), creates strong vertical wind shear over the Atlantic that tends to tear storms apart. In the Pacific, it has the opposite effect, weakening shear and allowing storms to grow. The Pacific has already produced several hurricanes this year, some of which hit maximum Category 5 strength. Read more Subscribers only El Niño: Understanding the weather-disrupting event and why it could break records this year Storm surge will also be worsened because climate change has raised sea levels by around 6.5 inches in this region, so the surge acts on a higher base, said Dahl. Heavy rainfall is also linked to warming since warmer oceans and atmosphere allow hurricanes to carry more moisture. Partner service Learn French with Gymglish Thanks to a daily lesson, an original story and a personalized correction, in 15 minutes per day. Try for free Isaias has disrupted oil and gas production in the Gulf of Mexico, with platforms and rigs evacuated. As of Friday, about 71% of the region's oil production had been temporarily halted, taking nearly 1.5 million barrels a day off the market, according to the Marine Minerals Administration (MMA). About 59% of gas production was also suspended. Le Monde with AFP