Storm Isaias leaves four dead across southern US
Storm Isaias, the first Atlantic hurricane of the 2026 season, has left four people dead across the southern United States after making landfall as a Category 2 hurricane near Destin, Florida on Friday evening. Officials confirmed two deaths in Florida and two in Alabama. Strong winds ripped roofs off buildings and felled trees, leaving more than 500,000 customers without electricity across both states. Amid the widespread disruption, Florida, Alabama, and Georgia declared states of emergency, and approximately 5,000 Florida National Guard personnel were activated to assist impacted communities.
Now weakened into a post-tropical cyclone, the system is moving across Tennessee and Kentucky toward West Virginia. The National Hurricane Center warned that significant hazards remain, forecasting heavy rainfall, flash and urban flooding, and possible landslides across the Southern Appalachians. The agency also highlighted the threat of damaging wind gusts, isolated tornadoes across eastern Georgia and the Carolinas, and life-threatening surf and rip currents along the Gulf coasts of the United States, Mexico, and western Cuba.
Meanwhile, severe weather threats have expanded on the Pacific coast, where Hurricane Simon has strengthened to Category 4 intensity. Simon is barreling toward Mexico and is forecast to make landfall on Sunday, threatening coastal communities including the tourist destination of Puerto Vallarta.
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