Tropical Storm Isaias forms

News · Heat 1.0 / 10 · 4 shows · 23m airtime

Tropical Storm Isaias formed in the Gulf Coast on October 7, 2026, the first Atlantic storm of the year, with up to six inches of rain forecast from Friday. It strengthened into a hurricane overnight, and made landfall near Destin as a Category 2 with 105 mph winds, knocking out power to over 800,000 customers. At least four deaths are reported, two from trees falling into homes. Forecasters had expected winds over 100 mph, a five-to-seven-foot surge and up to 15 inches of rain, with evacuations ordered in the Florida Panhandle. A National Hurricane Center specialist notes September passed without a hurricane for the first time since the 1970s, and the discussion has moved to the near-term landfall forecast and…

How 4 podcasts covered it

1. Closing Bell, 2026-10-07 (10:44 to 15:45)
   Turns to the weather desk on Isaias
   Turns to the weather desk for the season's first named storm: Isaias formed in the Gulf today, could become the first hurricane of the year, and is tracking toward the eastern Gulf. The segment weighs the late-season timing, the storm's distance from energy infrastructure, and the political risk of a landfall weeks before the midterms with a depleted National Weather…
   New angle: Tropical Storm Isaias formed in the Gulf Coast, the first Atlantic storm of the year, with up to six inches of rain forecast from Friday.
2. Up First, 2026-10-08 (2:13 to 6:21)
   Reports Isaias becoming a hurricane
   Goes to the coast as Isaias becomes a hurricane: sandbagging and supply runs, inland rain forecasts, rescheduled high school football, Trump hedging on the Alabama-Georgia game, eight platforms and roughly 19 percent of rigs evacuated, and states of emergency declared.
   New angle: Isaias strengthened into a hurricane overnight, with landfall forecast as early as tomorrow night near the Alabama Gulf Coast and Florida Panhandle.
3. Up First, 2026-10-09 (2:11 to 5:24)
   Reports the pre-landfall forecast from Crestview
   Goes to Crestview for the pre-landfall picture: the narrowing cone along the Alabama-Florida line, winds over 100 mph, a five-to-seven-foot surge, up to 15 inches of rain, Panhandle evacuations, tourists ordered off Alabama beaches, and the canceled National Shrimp Festival.
   New angle: Forecasters now expect winds over 100 mph, a five-to-seven-foot surge and up to 15 inches of rain, with evacuations ordered in the Florida Panhandle.
4. The Headlines, 2026-10-09 (7:21 to 8:39)
   Adds the quiet September hurricane record
   Adds the seasonal context to the Isaias forecast: the storm is the Atlantic's first hurricane, El Nino has kept the basin tame, and a National Hurricane Center specialist says September passed without a hurricane for the first time since the 1970s.
   New angle: A National Hurricane Center specialist says September passed without a hurricane for the first time since the 1970s.
5. Up First, 2026-10-10 (2:14 to 6:37)
   Reports from Crestview after landfall
   Reports from Crestview after landfall near Destin: a Category 2 with 105 mph winds, more than 800,000 customers out, a five-foot surge that came in under forecast, and Trump canceling his trip to the Alabama-Georgia game.
   New angle: Isaias made landfall near Destin as a Category 2 with 105 mph winds, knocking out power to over 800,000 customers.
6. Start Here, 2026-10-12 (0:38 to 5:52)
   Surveys the damage from the Gulf Coast
   Ground-level damage survey from the Gulf Coast: a Coast Guard flight over Pensacola, capsized boats, 90 mph gusts on the strong side, and a death toll of at least four, two of them from trees falling into homes.
   New angle: At least four deaths are reported, two from trees falling into homes.