Hurricane makes landfall in Florida Panhandle with 105 mph winds

Hurricane Isaias made landfall in Florida on Friday evening near Destin with winds of 105 mph and brought heavy rain and storm conditions to the Florida Panhandle.

Video shared on social media showed high winds and heavy rain battering the area, and one hotel in Pensacola appeared to have its roof ripped off by the storm.

The US National Weather Service warned of a life threatening storm surge expected from Dauphin Island, Alabama, to Suwannee, Florida, and urged residents in the warning area to follow advice from local officials.

The NWS stated that extremely dangerous and damaging hurricane force winds, especially in gusts, were expected over portions of the Florida Panhandle and southern Alabama where a Hurricane Warning remained in effect, and advised residents in these areas to have a safe room to ride out the storm and prepare for long duration power outages.

Strong winds were likely across large parts of the southeastern US, with Isaias also expected to bring heavy rainfall to much of the wider region over the weekend, creating the possibility of considerable flash and urban flooding and significant river flooding, and landslides in the Southern Appalachians.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said around 260,000 customers were without power as the category 2 hurricane made landfall, with outages spanning from Pensacola to Panama City and Tallahassee, and that restoration crews would be mobilised after the storm had passed.

Liberal News Analysis: What Does This Development Mean?

The landfall of Hurricane Isaias with 105 mph winds led to widespread wind damage and significant power outages across the Florida Panhandle, prompting urgent safety warnings from the National Weather Service and the mobilisation of restoration crews by state authorities.

The combination of hurricane force winds, storm surge warnings from Dauphin Island, Alabama, to Suwannee, Florida, and forecasts of heavy rainfall increased the risk of flash flooding, river flooding and landslides in affected regions.

Quick Glance: What You Need to Know

• Hurricane Isaias made landfall near Destin on Friday evening with 105 mph winds.
• Social media video showed intense winds and a hotel roof apparently ripped off in Pensacola.
• The National Weather Service warned of a life threatening storm surge from Dauphin Island to Suwannee.
• The NWS advised residents to use a safe room and prepare for long duration power outages.
• Heavy rainfall from Isaias raised risks of flash flooding, river flooding and landslides in the Southern Appalachians.
• Florida Governor Ron DeSantis reported about 260,000 customers without power and said restoration crews would be mobilised after the storm.