Hurricane Isaias Hits FL: Live Updates On Impacts, Outages

Hurricane Isaias slammed into the Florida Panhandle Friday night as a powerful Category 2 storm and Patch is continuing to gather updates following the landfall of the powerful storm.

According to the latest live coverage from AccuWeather, more than 300,000 customers in Florida were without power late Friday, with widespread damage reported from Pensacola eastward toward Fort Walton Beach, Destin and Panama City.

As Patch previously reported, the National Hurricane Center confirmed Isaias made landfall near Destin at approximately 9:30 p.m. ET Friday, packing maximum sustained winds of 105 mph.

The storm had strengthened into a major Category 3 hurricane earlier Friday before weakening slightly ahead of landfall.

AccuWeather reported wind gusts reaching 102 mph at Pensacola City Hall, while Pensacola International Airport recorded a gust of 86 mph. Downed trees, shattered streetlights and debris made portions of downtown Pensacola nearly impassable.

A flash flood emergency was issued for southern Okaloosa County, including Fort Walton Beach and Destin, as rainfall rates reached 2 to 4 inches per hour.

AccuWeather also reported storm surge exceeding 5 feet in Panama City, with coastal flooding threatening homes, businesses and roadways throughout the Panhandle.

Although Isaias has weakened to a Category 1 hurricane as it moves inland, forecasters warn the danger is far from over, with additional flooding, damaging winds and possible tornadoes expected overnight and into Saturday.

Gov. Ron DeSantis has expanded Florida's state of emergency to 27 counties, while thousands of National Guard troops, emergency responders and utility workers have been mobilized.

Patch is following the storm's impacts across Florida, including power outages, flooding, emergency response efforts, road closures and damage reports. Check back for the latest updates.

Friday, Oct. 9

Power outages continue to climb across Northwest Florida following Hurricane Isaias' landfall.

According to the latest available numbers as of the publication of this story, 304,420 customers (businesses, public buildings and homeowners) are without power in Florida.

Florida Counties With The Most Power Outages (11 p.m.)

• Escambia County: 114,626
• Okaloosa County: 31,066
• Walton County: 30,770
• Santa Rosa County: 24,160
• Leon County: 16,971
• Bay County: 16,485
• Washington County: 5,908
• Holmes County: 5,187

Combined with outages in Georgia, more than 500,000 customers across the three states are in the dark.

AccuWeather reports that hurricane-force wind gusts have caused extensive tree and structural damage, with additional outages possible as the storm moves inland.

ALSO READ

• Hurricane Isaias Makes Landfall Near Destin, FL As Category 2 Storm
• DeSantis Expands State Of Emergency As Category 3 Hurricane Isaias Nears FL Landfall
• Hurricane Isaias: Storm Still Category 3 Ahead Of Landfall, Thousands Without Power In FL
• DeSantis Declares State Of Emergency For 25 FL Counties Ahead Of Tropical System

This is a developing story. Patch will continue updating this report as additional information becomes available.