News / Travel Advisories

Hurricane Isaias strengthens to Category 3, prompts Gulf Coast evacuations

Pax Global Media

10-09-2026 10:03 am

Hurricane Isaias strengthened to Category 3 on Friday morning (Oct. 9) as coastal Alabama and parts of the Florida Panhandle prepared for its expected landfall, with evacuation orders already in place.

Maximum sustained winds reached 120 miles per hour (about 195 km/h), according to the National Hurricane Center.

Landfall is forecast for Friday night or early Saturday, with Mississippi, Alabama and the western Florida Panhandle under threat, CBS News reported.

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey ordered non-residents, tourists and visitors in Baldwin County south of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, including Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, to evacuate immediately on Thursday.

The order also applies to visitors on Dauphin Island in Mobile County.

States of emergency have been declared in more than 60 counties across Alabama and Florida, as well as throughout Georgia, according to The New York Times.

The hurricane centre is forecasting four to eight inches (about 100 to 200 mm) of rain across southern Alabama, the Florida Panhandle, Florida’s Big Bend and southwest Georgia.

Travellers with flights to or through affected areas should check their airline’s flight status and travel advisories before heading to the airport.

Isaias could influence weather patterns across Canada as it moves north from the U.S. Gulf Coast, according to CTV News.

Southern Ontario could feel the storm’s effects at the start of the long weekend, with rain and cloud cover possibly reaching areas around Lake Ontario and Lake Erie.

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