Hurricane Isaias has made landfall near Destin, Florida, as a Category 2 storm with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph. Wind shear was able to battle the storm on approach to the coast. That did weaken Isaias slightly, but it was too little, too late. The storm continues to unleash significant impacts across the region, including life-threatening storm surge, damaging winds, inland flooding, and tornadoes.
The landfall advisory from the National Hurricane Center included some direct observations from the ground. Sustained winds of 91 mph with gusts topping 116 mph were reported near Santa Rosa Sound, Florida. Another gust up to 100 mph with sustained wind speeds of 63 mph was reported at a weather station near Pensacola. Meanwhile, a water level gauge in Panama City reported 5.6 feet, which is an approximation of the inundation in that area.
Isaias will continue inland overnight, rapidly weakening due to land interaction. The storm will be post-tropical by Saturday afternoon as it continues to migrate northward.
This is the final update from the Storm Station on Isaias' progression. The local forecast remains largely unchanged. Because the storm tracked far enough to the east, the Capital Area was successful in avoiding major impacts. However, Isaias will still affect the local weather pattern heading into the weekend — CLICK HERE to get the latest forecast.
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