Hurricane slams South, leaving outages, 4 deaths

Hurricane Damage

Source: Hurricane slams South, leaving outages, 4 deaths

Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Hebrews 12:2

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Isaias becomes first hurricane of 2026 Atlantic season, threatens northern Gulf Coast. See maps, forecast path.

Hurricane Isaias was intensifying early Thursday and is expected to make landfall along the U.S. Gulf Coast late Friday or early Saturday, threatening parts of Mississippi, Alabama and the western part of the Florida Panhandle. It became the first hurricane of the 2026 Atlantic season after strengthening from a tropical storm late Wednesday night. A hurricane warning is in effect for the northern Gulf Coast, from Ocean Springs, Mississippi, across Alabama to Florida’s Bay/Gulf County line.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for more than two dozen counties in his state, and Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey issued a state of emergency for 40 counties.  Maps show hurricane’s path Isaias, pronounced “ees-ah-EE-ahs,” had maximum sustained winds of 80 mph early Thursday and its core was located about 420 miles south-southwest of the mouth of the Mississippi River, according to the National Hurricane Center.  “Additional strengthening is expected through early Friday, and Isaias should remain a strong hurricane as it approaches the northern Gulf Coast on Friday night,” the center said.

“Preparations to protect life and property from storm surge and damaging winds along the warning area of the Gulf Coast should be rushed to completion today,” the Miami-based center stressed. Along with the hurricane warning, a tropical storm warning was issued from Louisiana’s Jefferson/Plaquemines Parish line to west of Ocean Springs, Mississippi and from east of the Bay/Gulf County line to Florida’s Aucilla River. A storm surge warning was issued from the mouth of the Mississippi River to the Steinhatchee River in Florida. The hurricane center forecasts 3 to 7 inches of rain and as much as 10 inches in some places along the coast from southeastern Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle. Much of the Southeast, and as far north as the Tennessee Valley and the Carolinas, could see heavy rainfall.

The latest for a first hurricane since 1905 Isaias’ progression into a hurricane on Wednesday marked the latest date in 121 years for the Atlantic season’s first hurricane to develop, just missing a record set on Oct. 8, 1905, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration data.  The season, which has been unusually quiet in the Atlantic this year, runs from June 1 through Nov. 30.   An Atlantic hurricane season typically produces, on average, 14 named storms, seven hurricanes and three major hurricanes, according to the hurricane center, which used climate data collected between 1991 and 2020 to calculate those figures. A season’s first named storm normally forms in mid- to late-June, while the first hurricane tends to form in early- to mid-August, and the first major hurricane often comes in late August or early September.

Forecasters predicted there would be less Atlantic storm activity than usual this year, but so far it has been even quieter than anticipated. Meteorologists say that’s largely due to to the onset of a strong El Niño over the summer, which typically correlates with cooler water temperatures and greater fluctuations in wind patterns over the Atlantic, conditions that dampen the growth of tropical systems. The Pacific, meanwhile, has seen an unusually active series of hurricanes.

Source: Isaias becomes first hurricane of 2026 Atlantic season, threatens northern Gulf Coast. See maps, forecast path. – CBS News

But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed. “And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.”
1 Peter 3:14

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Flooding could impact more than 88 million as severe storms threaten multiple states

car navigating flooded street after heavy rain

Flooding could impact more than 88 million people across the middle of the country this week, forecasts show, as severe weather threatens multiple U.S. states in the Midwest and northern Plains.  About two dozen flash floods have been reported Monday across Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma, according to CBS News meteorologist Nikki Nolan. Flood watches remained in effect until Tuesday morning for large swaths of the Midwest, including much of Missouri and Illinois, with some extending farther south through Tennessee and into northern Alabama and Georgia.

The watches, which are issued when weather conditions mean flooding is possible but not necessarily guaranteed, affect about 20 million people. The severe weather threat to major cities in Kansas, like Topeka and Salina, is expected to last through Thursday, according to NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center. Nikki Nolan/CBS News Storms across the central Plains could also potentially produce “very large hail, severe wind gusts, and a few tornadoes,” while heavy rain posed risks of flash flooding across sections of the Mississippi, Tennessee and Ohio Valleys, the National Weather Service said. Forecasters have predicted rainfall of up to 8 inches in some areas. Forecasters also warned that excessive rain over parts of Tennessee and Alabama would continue to carry the potential for “considerable and life-threatening flooding” through Monday evening, after as much as 9 inches of rain drenched the region on Sunday.

Rushing water triggered a flash flood emergency near Huntsville, Alabama, where video footage captured vehicles partially submerged on a street. The flooding left some drivers stranded. This week’s storms come on the heels of others that already brought heavy rain and strong winds to parts of the country over the weekend, leading to at least one death in New York City. Nikki Nolan/CBS News Parts of the South were affected, too. In Texas’ Milam County, about an hour outside of Austin, torrential downpours caused vehicles to slide off of local roads on Saturday and prompted multiple water rescues.

In Slidell, Louisiana, up to 6 inches of rain fell in less than 12 hours, which also caused flash flooding. As the weekend storms pounded northeastern states like Pennsylvania and New York, Pittsburgh resident Tim Broadwater told “CBS Mornings” that ferocious wind gusts shook his home so violently that it was knocked off of the cement blocks that previously held it upright.  “I was scared to death,” Broadwater said. “I thought I was going to end up in the creek.” In New York City, officials said an 85-year-old man was struck and killed by a falling tree in Queens. In Brooklyn, where wind gusts reached 64 mph, video showed furniture tumbling across the deck of a rooftop pool. The city’s Parks and Recreation Department said the storms downed more than 250 trees across the city.

Source: Flooding could impact more than 88 million as severe storms threaten multiple states – CBS News

And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.
Galatians 6:9

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