Hurricane Isaias: 63% of Gulf oil production shut down as Florida, Alabama prepares for landfall | 5 Key Updates | Today’s news
Isaias strengthened to a Category 2 hurricane as it barreled toward the U.S. Gulf Coast on Thursday, prompting orders for tourists to leave beaches and head inland to safer places, sending locals scrambling for gas and food and leading fishing crews to secure their boats ahead of the potentially devastating storm.
The first hurricane of the Atlantic season is forecast to rapidly strengthen and bring dangerous conditions to the Florida Panhandle, southern Alabama and southern Mississippi when it makes landfall late Friday or early Saturday. Heavy rain and flooding were possible over the weekend as far north as Tennessee and North Carolina.
Here’s an overview of the key updates and possible impacts:
1. What is Hurricane Isaias and how strong is it?
Isaias is the first hurricane of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season. On Thursday, it strengthened to a Category 2 hurricane with maximum winds of 105 mph (165 km/h), according to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC).
The storm was moving northeast at 14 mph (22 km/h) and was centered about 260 miles (415 kilometers) south of the mouth of the Mississippi River.
It was forecast to strengthen further before making landfall along the northern Gulf Coast.
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“We expect Isaias to be a dangerous hurricane when it makes landfall,” said Michael Brennan, director of the National Hurricane Center in Miami.
“Today is the day to prepare and prepare and be in your safe place by tomorrow as conditions will deteriorate rapidly along the northern Gulf Coast as Isaias approaches,” he added.
2. Which areas are under warning?
A hurricane warning was in effect from Ocean Springs, Mississippi to the Bay-Gulf County line in Florida. A storm surge warning extended from the mouth of the Mississippi River to the Suwannee River in Florida.
Storm surges could reach 5 to 7 feet (1.5 to 2.1 meters) in parts of Alabama and Mississippi, forecasters warned. The hurricane could also bring up to 15 inches (38 centimeters) of rainfall to coastal areas and spawn tornadoes overnight Friday into Saturday.
Heavy rain and flooding were possible as far inland as Tennessee and North Carolina over the weekend.
The National Weather Service also warned of possible “prolonged power outages.”
3. Evacuations ordered in Florida and Alabama
Authorities ordered evacuations in vulnerable coastal areas as residents and tourists braced for the storm.
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey ordered non-residents to leave Gulf Shores, Orange Beach and Dauphin Island. Florida officials ordered mandatory evacuations in parts of Okaloosa County, while several counties announced coastal evacuations.
The governors of Florida and Alabama have declared states of emergency covering dozens of counties. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said about 5,000 National Guard troops are expected to be mobilized by Friday.
Several Florida school districts also canceled classes.
4. How is Hurricane Isaias affecting oil and gas production?
The Marine Minerals Administration, which monitors offshore U.S. oil and gas operators in the Gulf of Mexico, said Thursday that personnel had been evacuated from 121 production rigs and five non-dynamically positioned rigs ahead of the storm.
About 63% of current oil production in the Persian Gulf, or 1.3 million barrels of oil per day, has been shut in, the agency said, citing reports from operators. Just over 1.1 billion cubic feet per day of natural gas production, or about 57% of total production from the region, was also shut down.
On Wednesday, 25% of oil and 16% of natural gas production was shut down.
About 9 million barrels of oil production could be lost in the Persian Gulf over the duration of the storm, up from the 7.1 million barrels hit by Tropical Storm Bertha in July, according to a model forecast by consulting firm Earth Science Associates.
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Among the companies most exposed to the storm are BP, Chevron, ENI, Murphy Oil and Shell, according to the Earth Science model.
5. Could Isaias affect oil prices?
The production cut could affect oil markets, especially if the hurricane damages refineries along the Gulf Coast.
Jim Burkhard, global head of oil market research at S&P Global Energy, said the output cuts were significant enough to affect markets, although other Gulf hurricanes caused more disruption.
