Isaias Takes Aim at the Gulf Coast as Florida Declares Emergency
The recording, obtained by Axios from a private fundraiser last month, surfaced Wednesday — hours before Trump was set to campaign with him in Texas.
Tropical Storm Isaias formed in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico early Wednesday morning. The National Hurricane Center said the storm is forecast to strengthen rapidly over the next couple of days.
As of the 11 a.m. ET advisory, Isaias was about 260 miles west-northwest of Progreso, Mexico, with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph. It was moving east-northeast at 8 mph, on a path toward the northern Gulf Coast.
Forecasters expect it to become a hurricane by Thursday and reach 110 mph — a strong Category 2 — before making landfall late Friday or early Saturday. The most likely landfall zone runs from coastal Mississippi to the western Florida Panhandle.
Florida declares an emergency
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an executive order Tuesday declaring a state of emergency in 25 counties across the Panhandle and Big Bend, including Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Bay and Leon. The order lets the state pre-stage emergency resources and mobilize the National Guard.
“Floridians should take this time to get disaster plans in place and ensure their hurricane supply kit is stocked,” DeSantis said.
On X, DeSantis said the state is preparing for a possible Category 3 landfall in the Mobile-Pensacola region. The Hurricane Center’s official forecast shows a strong Category 2.
What to expect
A hurricane watch covers the coast from Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, to Indian Pass, Florida. A tropical storm watch is in effect for the coast just west and east of that stretch. A storm surge watch runs from the mouth of the Mississippi River to Yankeetown, Florida.
Forecasters expect 5 to 7 feet of storm surge along parts of the Panhandle coast, from around Pensacola to Port St. Joe, and up to 10 inches of rain in the hardest-hit areas. The storm’s arrival coincides with the new moon, which brings higher tides and makes flooding worse.
Tropical-storm conditions could reach the coast by midday Friday, with hurricane conditions possible late Friday. The National Weather Service in Tallahassee warned of long-duration power outages.
Planes at Tyndall Air Force Base near Panama City are being moved to MacDill Air Force Base near Tampa ahead of the storm. In Gulf Shores, Alabama, this weekend’s shrimp festival has been canceled.
An unusually quiet season
Isaias could be the first hurricane of the 2026 Atlantic season — an exceptionally quiet year so far. Forecasters said the season’s calm does not change what this one storm can do.
The only other storm to carry the name Isaias was in 2020. The name is pronounced ees-ah-EE-ahs.
