Isaias has become the first Atlantic hurricane of the 2026 season, with wind speeds of 80mph and a minimum pressure of 975mb. It is expected to strengthen further into a category 2 hurricane before approaching the US’s northern Gulf coast on Friday, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
As a result of the strong El Niño this year, it has been a notably quiet Atlantic hurricane season. In fact, the first hurricane of the season has not formed this late since 8 October 1905, which pre-dates the satellite era (1960s) for tracking hurricanes that has allowed for more non-landfall hurricanes to be discovered.
Isaias is set to make landfall on Friday evening local time, bringing an estimated 75mm to 150mm (2.95in to 5.9in) of rainfall across the Gulf coast. There may be up to 250mm in a few places, with the risk of flash flooding and isolated river flooding. The NOAA also said there was increasing risk of life-threatening storm surge along portions of the northern Gulf coast and an increasing risk of damaging hurricane-force winds over portions of the Florida panhandle, southern Alabama and Mississippi. A hurricane warning has already been issued with local people told to prepare for the chance of long power outages, heed advice of local officials and evacuate if told to do so.
In Zimbabwe, a state of disaster was declared in the south-east Masvingo province on Tuesday after a severe hailstorm caused widespread damage to homes and critical infrastructure. Preliminary assessments found 8,500 households had had their roofs completely blown off. A further 15,300 of those assessed reported shattered windows, leaving many people exposed to the elements as the rainy season begins. The country’s power infrastructure was badly affected, disrupting drainage and sewerage systems, raising concern regarding public health.
In Australia, a rare tornado was witnessed in the town of Ulladulla, about 140 miles (230km) south of Sydney, on 3 October. Tornadoes are a relatively rare phenomena in Australia with approximately 50 reports of such events per year. This event was reported to have caused damage to properties as well as knocking over some trees.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: theguardian.com
