Hurricane Isaias makes landfall near Destin, Florida
- Hurricane Isaias made Category 2 landfall near Destin, Florida, on Oct. 9, 2026.
- The storm brought heavy rain, flash flooding, downed trees and power lines to Alabama and the Florida Panhandle.
- NASA Black Marble HD satellite imagery showed decreased nighttime lights near Pensacola and U.S. Route 98.
- NASA's Disasters Program is coordinating with FEMA, the USGS Coastal Storms Team and Alabama organizations.
- Black Marble observations can complement ground-based outage reports by showing recovery patterns over time.
What happened
Hurricane Isaias, the first hurricane of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season, tracked toward the U.S. Gulf Coast. It made landfall near Destin, Florida, on 2026-10-09 as a Category 2 hurricane. The storm brought heavy rain and flash flooding to Alabama and the Florida Panhandle, toppling trees and downing power lines.
What we know
Isaias was the first hurricane of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season. It made landfall near Destin, Florida, on 2026-10-09 as a Category 2 hurricane.
Wind figures associated with Isaias included 105 mph, 170 km/h and 100 mph. Oriole Beach was linked to 117 mph winds, while Pensacola City Hall was linked to 102 mph winds.
Satellite images showed substantial decreases in nighttime lights. A Black Marble HD image pair used dates of 2026-08 and 2026-10-11, and the nighttime lights were shown over a Landsat 9 base map.
Black Marble HD data come from NASA's Black Marble science team and use VIIRS on NOAA-20. The products are processed to account for landscape, atmosphere and Moon phase. Clouds prevented VIIRS from collecting data.
The images showed lights decreasing near Pensacola and U.S. Route 98. Lights persisted at Pensacola International Airport and Pensacola Christian College. They also persisted in downtown Pensacola. The persistence could reflect backup power or infrastructure differences.
Additional Black Marble HD dates included 2026-10-12 and 2026-10-14. The data complement ground-based outage reports and can show the pace and spatial patterns of recovery.
The NASA Disasters Program is supporting the response to Hurricane Isaias. It is coordinating with FEMA and the USGS Coastal Storms Team, supporting the Alabama Red Cross and supporting the Alabama Emergency Management Agency.
Why it matters
The Black Marble HD observations give a space-based view of power outages and recovery, complementing ground-based outage reports.
NASA's Disasters Program is coordinating with FEMA, the USGS Coastal Storms Team and Alabama organizations, showing how satellite data are being used in emergency response.
What's next
The NASA Disasters Program will publish maps and data products through an open-access mapping portal.
What we are not sure about
- The facts list several wind speeds without specifying which measurement applies to landfall.
Sources
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