First hurricane of the year could strike Gulf coast this week as Category 2

Hurricane admin October 7, 2026 0 Comments

First hurricane of the year could strike Gulf coast this week as Category 2

The northern Gulf coast could see Category 2 Hurricane Isaias by the end of the week, with a landfall near Mississippi or Alabama and heaps of rain for the Florida Panhandle this weekend.

The National Hurricane Center issued its first forecast track for tropical depression 9 on Tuesday evening. The hurricane center predicted that the system would strengthen into Tropical Storm Isaias as soon as Wednesday, the first hurricane of the season as soon as Thursday and make landfall somewhere on the Mississippi or Alabama coast on Friday evening.

That’s a fast timeline, but the hurricane center warned it could be even faster if the storm strengthens more than currently expected.

“It appears that the stronger the system gets, the faster it will move toward the coast,” the hurricane center warned in the 5 p.m. Tuesday update.

In the warmer-than-usual waters of the Gulf, Isaias could strengthen into a Category 2 ahead of landfall, the hurricane center predicted. But further strengthening is unlikely due to a roadblock of storm-toppling wind shear set up just off the northern coast.

“Although not seen in the forecast, some weakening seems likely when the storm nears the Gulf Coast due to an increase in vertical wind shear, but it is still expected to be a dangerous hurricane when it makes landfall,” forecasters said.

The bulk of the storm’s impacts look to be on the eastern side, forecasters said, which could send heavy rain clouds over the Florida Panhandle this weekend and dump 3 to 6 inches of rain, or up to 10 inches in some places.