Storm news
Archived — this story has rotated out of today’s deck. It is kept here in full.
The gist
Hurricane Isaias hit Florida's Panhandle Friday as a Category 2, killing at least four.
Two more storms hammered Mexico's Pacific coast, killing six and leaving others missing.
Background
Three storms struck North America in the same stretch of October 2026. Isaias was the first Atlantic hurricane of a quiet season shaped by a powerful El Niño, and the first mainland US hurricane landfall in two years. On the Pacific side, Hurricane Simon capped a record-intensity season, and the remnants of former Category 3 storm Rachel added to the flooding in Mexico.
How it unfolded
- Oct 9, 2026Hurricane Isaias strengthened toward the Gulf Coast with landfall forecast late Friday or early Saturday; states of emergency were issued in more than 60 counties in Alabama and Florida and statewide in Georgia, with mandatory evacuations along parts of the northwest Florida coast.
- Oct 10, 2026Isaias came ashore Friday near Destin, Florida, as a Category 2 hurricane, flooding highways and cutting power for hundreds of thousands.
- Oct 12, 2026At least two people died in Mexico after Hurricane Simon and former tropical storm Rachel brought torrential rain and catastrophic flooding to Pacific coast communities; Simon weakened from Category 4 to Category 2.
- Oct 12, 2026Isaias was reported to have killed at least four people, with evacuations along the Florida Panhandle and in parts of Alabama.
- Oct 13, 2026The death toll from Simon and Rachel's remnants rose to six, with the worst damage in Ensenada, Baja California; Tropical Storm Trudy formed in the Pacific.
Who’s saying what
- Official
- Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis warned of elevated flash-flood danger even far from where Isaias came ashore, said power should be restored at some point Monday, and warned of potential river flooding in coming days.
- Official
- Guerrero Governor Evelyn Salgado confirmed a 71-year-old man died during Hurricane Simon after a retaining wall collapsed under intense precipitation.
- Official
- Baja California Governor Marina del Pilar said a young girl died from the effects of what was once Hurricane Rachel, with at least 10 more people missing in the state.
- Caution
- Experts warned the death toll from both storms could rise.
Still unverified
Death and missing figures remain preliminary; local newspaper La Jornada reported a higher toll of two dead and 11 missing in Baja California, and experts warn the toll from both storms could rise.