WIREGRASS: What You Need to Know Tonight
Isaias is a dangerous Category 3 hurricane this Friday afternoon, and it’s heading for the Florida Panhandle coast with landfall expected this evening. The National Hurricane Center is forecasting a Category 3 at landfall. There’s a chance it weakens to a Category 2 before then, but hope isn’t a plan. Prepare for a Category 3 and significant impacts near the eyewall, even as the storm moves into Alabama.
Most of the reliable guidance points to Fort Walton Beach for landfall but remember: a hurricane is more than a single dot on the map. Its impacts reach far beyond where the center comes ashore.
Wind: Here in the Wiregrass, expect widespread gusts of 40-60 mph. Areas within the cone could see gusts of 60-80 mph well into Alabama, and it will be even stronger along the Panhandle. Okaloosa, Walton and Covington counties will see the biggest impacts in our viewing area.
Rain: Totals of 2-4 inches are likely, with heavier bands bringing 4-7 inches. With the ground already soaked, we expect widespread tree damage and power outages.
Timing: The main impact window is 5 p.m. to midnight.
Tornadoes: The threat is mainly confined to far southeast Alabama, southward to the coast, then shifting eastward overnight. We’ll be watching the back edge of the rain shield as it lifts northward, since that’s where the main tornado threat will develop later this evening.
Stay weather aware, charge your phones, and have a plan to get warnings tonight. We’ll be with you every step of the way.
