Hurricane Isaias strengthens as it heads for US Gulf Coast

Hurricane Isaias is strengthening as it heads for the US Gulf Coast, prompting evacuations in Florida and shutting in more than half of the coast's oil production.

Isaias intensified on Thursday as it moved towards the US Gulf Coast, prompting mandatory evacuations in parts of Florida and emergency declarations in Alabama.

This is the first Atlantic hurricane of the 2026 season to have maximum sustained winds of 140 km/h, according to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC).

Forecasters have warned of life-threatening storm surges, tornadoes, and flooding, and the Alabama Governor's Office issued emergency declarations.

It is expected to strengthen to near Category 3, with winds of 175 km/h, before reaching the northern Gulf Coast late on Friday or early Saturday.

“We are expecting Isaias to be a dangerous hurricane when it makes landfall,” NHC director Michael Brennan said.

The storm has already severely disrupted energy production in the Gulf of Mexico. Around 63 per cent of the region’s oil output, or 1.3 million barrels a day, has been shut in.

Personnel have been evacuated from 121 production platforms ahead of the storm.

Hurricane warnings stretch from coastal Mississippi through Alabama to the Florida panhandle, with storm surges of up to 2.1 metres expected in the worst-hit areas.