Hurricane Isaias made landfall near Destin, Florida, on Friday as a Category 2 hurricane, then proceeded to do what hurricanes do: kill people, knock out power, and flood things. By Saturday evening, at least four deaths were reported - two in Escambia County, Florida, and two in Alabama. One each in Escambia and Birmingham, Alabama, occurred when trees fell on homes. A fourth person was found dead in a closed garage with a running generator in Escambia County; four family members were hospitalized with carbon monoxide poisoning. "Don't run any generators inside your home, it can be very, very hazardous," said Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, demonstrating that some public safety advice remains refreshingly straightforward.

Alabama Governor Kay Ivey said Isaias - predicted to dissipate on Sunday - "cannot clear fast enough." Meanwhile, the storm weakened to a post-tropical cyclone but still threatened flooding and tornadoes as it moved inland. "Remember, there can still be flooding from rising rivers," said Jared W. Perdue, secretary of Florida's Department of Transportation. "Please, if there's standing water or flowing water on top of a road, please do not drive through it. It does not have to be that deep, and it can wash away your car, it can wash away a human, it can become very dangerous very quickly." This is the kind of advice that should be obvious but apparently isn't.

More than 679,000 customers across Florida, Alabama, and Georgia were without power by Saturday afternoon - down from over 900,000 earlier that day - according to PowerOutage.us. Storm surge and tropical storm warnings were discontinued, but the National Hurricane Center (NHC) warned of "considerable impacts" across southern Alabama, Florida's panhandle, and south-western Georgia. "Flash, urban and river flooding is possible across the region," the NHC said, adding that there was a considerable potential for flash flooding and landslides across the southern Appalachians. "A risk for tornadoes will persist … through [Saturday] afternoon across parts of the eastern Florida panhandle, Georgia and the Carolinas."

Rainfall amounts of 4-8 inches were expected through Sunday across southern Alabama, Florida's panhandle and Big Bend regions, and south-west Georgia, with localized totals up to 15 inches possible. The rest of the south-east was expected to get 2-5 inches, with up to 10 inches in some spots. Isaias was an atypically late-forming first Atlantic hurricane of the season, and its maximum sustained winds of 105mph (169km/h) were intense enough to sound like "a train whistle," according to Tim Mowry of Pensacola, Florida, who spoke to the Associated Press. Mowry lost power Friday afternoon but had a generator; his son tried to drive over but was blocked by downed trees and power lines. Mowry said he was "really fortunate." Ashley Weeks of Crestview, Florida, told WEAR that a tree fell on her house, damaging the roof near her daughter's bedroom. "It was just scary - everything, my whole life is in the house," she said. "We heard a loud … like a bomb went off in the house. It was so loud. And I got up and [saw] the tree through the roof, and it was - freaking out."

While a stronger El Niño seemed to limit hurricanes this year, Isaias forming in October with 105mph winds was a stark contrast to historical trends. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) had predicted a quiet season - between three and six hurricanes, below the average of seven - and an August forecast cut that to two to six. Isaias is one of the two latest-forming Atlantic hurricanes on record, tying a record from 8 October 1905. The second-latest date for a first Atlantic hurricane was 11 September, in 2002 and 2013. None of the eight previous named storms of the 2026 Atlantic season intensified above tropical storm status. Hurricane Milton's strike on Florida in October 2024 was the last time a hurricane hit the mainland US before Isaias. The Associated Press contributed reporting.