Isaias leaves hundreds of thousands without power on Gulf Coast

Isaias made landfall near Destin, Florida, as a Category 2 hurricane on Friday, leaving flooded roads, downed trees and hundreds of thousands of people without power by early Saturday. [3] Its winds weakened as it moved north through Alabama, but forecasters warned of possible life-threatening storm surges, heavy rain, flooding and tornadoes across parts of the Southeast. [3] Why it matters: Falling wind speeds do not mean all danger has passed: coastal storm-surge risks and inland rain and tornado risks can persist as the storm moves away from its landfall location. Widespread outages and flooded roads also complicate daily movement and access to electricity. [3] Key insights: The storm’s Category 2 rating describes its strength at landfall, not the full set of hazards after it moved inland. [3] | Outages affected both Alabama and the Florida Panhandle by early Saturday. [3] | Forecasters warned that tornado conditions could extend from the Florida Panhandle into Georgia and the Carolinas. [3] Cheatsheet facts: What happened: Isaias came ashore near Destin as a Category 2 hurricane, leaving flooded roads and downed trees. [3] | Who pays: Hundreds of thousands of people in Alabama and the Florida Panhandle were without power early Saturday. [3] | The catch: Winds weakened inland, but forecasters still warned of storm surge, heavy rain, flooding and possible tornadoes. [3]