The first major storm of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season strengthened to dangerous category 3 status over the Gulf of Mexico last night, but is forecasted to weaken quickly once it makes landfall on the Alabama coast sometime Friday night.
Hurricane Isaias—which is pronounced “issy-ay-ahs”—will likely come ashore late Friday night or early Saturday morning around Mobile Bay, Alabama, according to forecasts from Everstream. But the storm will likely weaken right before making landfall to a category 1 or strong tropical ranking, and then it will move fairly quickly overland, as opposed to stalling out and dumping dangerous loads of rain in concentrated locations, the firm said.
That means its rainfall totals will likely be in the range of 3 inches to 7 inches, which is on the lower range of hurricane-spectrum drenchings which can typically reach well into the double digits, Everstream said. Likewise, its windspeed, storm surge, and electrical power outage potential will be moderate. It total, Hurricane Isaias will not be as big an event as other recent hurricanes to strike the region, such as Helene and Milton, Everstream’s chief science officer, Mark Russo, said in a video briefing.
Still, the storm could impact supply chains by causing flooding, slowdowns, or potential closures of interstate highways including I-10 between Slidell, Louisiana, and the middle of the Florida panhandle, and I-65 near Mobile, Alabama, he said. At the time of the briefing, Everstream said that no cargo airports were expected to close and the Port of New Orleans planned to continue operating.
However, the Port of Mobile sits right at the center of the storm’s target area, and has largely shut down already. The U.S. Coast Guard by Friday morning had established “Port Condition ZULU,” indicating gale-force winds are expected within 12 hours. The port is now closed to vessel traffic, and cargo-handling operations are suspended, except for activities specifically authorized by the Coast Guard. Port leaders said that vessel and terminal operations at Alabama Port Authority public berths are suspended. Operations will remain suspended until conditions allow for assessments and clearance to safely resume.
So far, the storm is more notable because of its timing than its power, Everstream said. By the calendar, Isaias is the latest-forming hurricane of the Atlantic hurricane season in recorded history, a delay which is caused by the “Super El Nino” weather pattern now simmering in the Pacific Ocean. In fact, there has never been a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico during the previous three Super El Ninos, which occurred in 1982, 1997, and 2015.
Despite those measures, Isaias is still a force to be reckoned with, according to the American Logistics Aid Network (ALAN), which is urging Gulf Coast businesses to heed local advisories and warnings – and is asking logistics professionals everywhere to be ready to help. Earlier this week, ALAN entered the preparedness stage of its storm activation, including working with its non-profit partners on their prepositioning activities. ALAN has also begun providing information about hurricane supply chain impacts via its Rapid Assessment website page.
“Isaias is expected to make landfall as a Category 2 hurricane sometime Friday – with massive rainfall, a potentially life-threatening storm surge, and winds as high as 110 miles per hour. As a result, we are officially mobilizing to help,” said Kathy Fulton, ALAN’s Executive Director.
