Hurricane Isaias -- the first hurricane of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season -- is continuing to track toward the Gulf Coast. The storm, which has strengthened into a major hurricane, expected to make landfall in the U.S. on Friday night, Oct. 9, forecasters say.
North Carolina is out of Isaias' direct path, but Wilmington-area residents will still feel its effects this coming weekend. Heavy rain and flooding are the major concerns, but the National Weather Service is also warning about a risk of damaging winds and tornadoes.
Isaias shares a name with another hurricane event that some Wilmington-area residents may remember.
In August 2020, Hurricane Isaias made landfall in Ocean Isle Beach, devastating the coast and producing several tornadoes.
Two men in Wilmington were killed when struck by lightning associated with the storm.
The World Meteorological Organization chose not to retire the name. Typically, a name is retired if it is determined that the associated storm caused so much distress that it would be insensitive to reuse the name.
Will Hurricane Isaias impact Wilmington?
The greatest areas of concern for this storm are along the Gulf Coast, but the Wilmington area won’t be without impacts.
Wilmington-area residents can expect heavy rain over the weekend. The National Weather Service in Wilmington is forecasting as much as 2 inches of new rainfall on Saturday evening alone and between 3-6 inches total for most of the Cape Fear region between Saturday and Sunday. Locally higher amounts of 6-8 inches are possible.
Minor tidal flooding is expected over the weekend during high tides and could cause flooded roads, the weather service said. There will be a high/moderate risk of “life-threatening surf conditions,” including dangerous waves and rip currents, over the weekend.
Dangerous 60 mph winds are also in the cards. The weather service warned residents to prepare for the possibility of downed trees and power lines. Reminiscent of the 2020 Hurricane Isaias, there will also be a chance of isolated tornadoes over the weekend.
AccuWeather had increased the risk of damage to life and property along the coast of the Carolinas to moderate as of its 9 a.m. forecast on Oct. 9.
Weather forecast in Wilmington
Here's the forecast for this weekend from the National Weather Service.
- Friday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 79. Calm wind becoming northeast around 6 mph in the afternoon.
- Saturday: Showers and thunderstorms before 3 p.m., then showers and possibly a thunderstorm, mainly after 3pm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall. High near 76. East wind 15 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 33 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between three quarters and one inch possible.
- Saturday night: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall. Low around 71. East wind 11 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 32 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New rainfall amounts between 1 and 2 inches possible.
- Sunday: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. High near 81. South wind 11 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between three quarters and one inch possible.
- Sunday night: Showers and thunderstorms likely before 11 p.m., then a chance of showers between 11 p.m. and 2 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 66. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
North Carolina weather radar
The 2020 Hurricane Isaias
Some residents may remember the destruction caused by the last Hurricane Isaias when it made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane six years ago in 2020.
The storm caused tens of millions in damage across coastal Brunswick County and left over 350,000 people in southeastern North Carolina without power during peak outages.
According to the National Hurricane Center, 17 people died in connection to Isaias, including the two Wilmington men who were struck by lightning. Despite the deaths and widespread damage, the name was not retired.
Atlantic hurricane names are reused every six years unless one is retired. Some of the storm names that have recently been retired include Florence, Ian and Helene.
North Carolina severe weather watches and warnings
What is flash flooding?
Flash flooding usually begins within six hours, but often within three hours, of heavy rain or mass amounts of water accumulating in an area, according to the National Weather Service.
This type of flooding usually happens very quickly and catches people off guard. It can be caused by a number of things, but is often due to extremely heavy rainfall from thunderstorms.
"The intensity of the rainfall, the location and distribution of the rainfall, the land use and topography, vegetation types and growth/density, soil type, and soil water-content all determine just how quickly the flash flooding may occur, and influence where it may occur," writes the National Weather Service.
Charlie Kingree is the Pender County and trending topics reporter for the StarNews. He can be reached at ckingree@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Isaias becomes major hurricane with Wilmington expected to see impacts
