Hurricane Isaias towards the USA, is the first to form in the Atlantic Ocean in 2026

Hurricane Isaias has strengthened to Category 2 status in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico as it heads toward the southern United States. This is what was reported by the National Hurricane Center (NHC). Isaias, the first hurricane of the Atlantic season, is expected to hit Florida, Alabama or Mississippi during the night between Friday and Saturday. The NHC warned residents in the potentially affected area that emergency preparations to protect life and property from high winds and storm surges "must be completed with the utmost urgency."

First hurricane unusually late

A storm surge warning, which carries the danger of life-threatening flooding, was in effect from the mouth of the Mississippi River to the Suwannee River, while a hurricane warning was in effect from Ocean Springs, Mississippi, to the Gulf County line in Florida, the NHC said in its latest update. Isaias, located about 325 miles (525 km) south of the Mississippi River Delta, had maximum sustained winds of 100 mph (155 km/h), which classified it as a Category 2 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale.

Isaias arrives unusually late as the first hurricane of the Atlantic season, which began on June 1. The Pacific has already recorded several hurricanes, including Polo, which has reached maximum intensity level 5.