Isaias Now Post-Tropical After 105 MPH Florida Landfall, With More Than 450,000 Still Without Power
Isaias has weakened to a post-tropical cyclone after making landfall near Destin at 105 mph, the National Hurricane Center said. More than 450,000 customers remained without power across the Florida Panhandle on Saturday morning as crews began clearing roads and assessing damage.
Isaias weakened overnight into a post-tropical cyclone after striking the Florida Panhandle, the National Hurricane Center said, leaving more than 450,000 customers without power as residents and officials began assessing damage on Saturday morning.
The center said the storm made landfall near Destin at 8:30 p.m. with winds of 105 mph, then lost strength after moving inland. In its 4 a.m. Central advisory, which it described as its final advisory on the system, the center put the center about 40 miles south-southwest of Montgomery, Alabama, moving north at 14 mph with winds down to 35 mph. All watches and warnings were dropped, though forecasters said a flash flood risk would continue.
USA Today reported the storm came ashore near Destin on Friday night as a Category 2 hurricane, with winds hovering near 110 mph as it fluctuated between Category 2 and Category 3 strength.
Outages concentrated in the western Panhandle
The heaviest outages were in the five western Panhandle counties, according to the Pensacola News Journal. As of 6 a.m., 127,246 of 168,860 Florida Power and Light customers in Escambia County were without power, along with 79,326 of 86,320 customers in Santa Rosa County, the News Journal reported. In Okaloosa County, where the storm made landfall, 49,370 customers had lost power.
Search and rescue operations began once conditions allowed and continued through the night, the News Journal reported, while state and local crews turned to road clearing at daylight. Escambia County said crews would start with so-called cut-and-toss work to push downed trees out of roadways, giving priority to routes serving hospitals and other critical facilities before returning later to remove debris fully. The city of Pensacola urged residents and visitors to stay off roads so responders could clear debris and downed lines safely.
One early sign of movement came on the water: the Gen. Daniel “Chappie” James Jr. Memorial Bridge, known locally as the Three Mile Bridge, reopened shortly after 5 a.m., according to the Pensacola Police Department as reported by the News Journal. Gov. Ron DeSantis had expanded a state of emergency on Oct. 8 to cover 27 North Florida counties ahead of the storm.
Reporting based on coverage by the Pensacola News Journal and USA Today.
