Hurricane Isaias Makes Landfall Near Destin, Florida

Hurricane Isaias made landfall near Destin, Florida, around 8:30 p.m. local time as a Category 2 storm carrying sustained winds of 105 mph, according to NBC News, which cited meteorologist Bill Karins's live coverage on Oct. 10, 2026.

Where and when did Isaias make landfall?

The storm's center crossed the coastline near Destin, in the Florida Panhandle, at roughly 8:30 p.m. local time, NBC News reported. The landfall came after hours of intensifying conditions in Pensacola, roughly 50 miles to the west, where local coverage tracked the storm moving onshore throughout the evening, per NBC News.

How strong was the storm at landfall?

Isaias carried 105-mph sustained winds at landfall, classifying it as a Category 2 hurricane, NBC News reported. The network's special coverage noted the storm had been downgraded to Category 2 shortly before it reached the coast, after tracking at a higher intensity offshore, according to NBC News's broadcast title cataloged alongside the landfall video.

What preparations preceded landfall in Florida and Alabama?

Both states declared states of emergency ahead of Isaias's arrival, NBC News reported in coverage published in the days before landfall. Florida Lt. Gov. Jay Collins urged residents to "take this serious" and brace for the storm, per an NBC News video carrying that quote. Separately, officials in Mobile, Alabama, and Pensacola, Florida, outlined local storm preparations in NBC News interviews with each city's mayor. One evacuating Florida resident told NBC News, "Hopefully we have a home to go back to," as the family left ahead of landfall. The storm's timing also disrupted at least one wedding, which a couple postponed because of Isaias, according to NBC News.

What happens to Isaias next?

After landfall, Isaias continued pushing further inland with strong winds and heavy rain, NBC News reported in coverage following the storm's track beyond the coast. The network's reporting did not specify a revised wind-speed figure for the storm's inland track beyond the 105-mph landfall reading, and no updated intensity numbers were included in the cited coverage.

What should Gulf Coast residents watch for now?

NBC News's on-the-ground reporting from Pensacola described intensifying conditions as the storm moved onshore, and separate coverage flagged heavy rain battering Florida in the hours before landfall. The network's meteorology desk, led by Karins, continued tracking the storm's inland path after landfall, per the network's video description. Residents in the storm's path were advised in earlier NBC News coverage to follow the same emergency guidance issued by Florida and Alabama officials in the lead-up to landfall, including the Lieutenant Governor's call to prepare before the storm's arrival.

The network's coverage also noted an unrelated weather event unfolding the same period: flooding in California tied to Tropical Storm Rachel, which NBC News reported was heading for the state's coast, separate from the Gulf Coast system.

NBC News has not published updated wind-speed or pressure readings for Isaias beyond the landfall figures cited in its Oct. 10 coverage, and any further downgrades or inland flooding totals were not included in the source material reviewed for this report.