Hurricanes

Isaias strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane late on Wednesday and is expected to make landfall near the Alabama-Florida line by Saturday morning.

Weather experts are warning that hurricane forecasts will be severely hampered by the upcoming cutoff of key data from U.S. Department of Defense satellites.

Gov. Jeff Landry doubled down Tuesday on his belief that Louisiana is prepared should a natural disaster strike.

The forecast cone no longer includes Louisiana. Local impacts will be primarily coastal flooding, winds and heavy rainfall from the system’s outer bands, the National Weather Service said.

Rafael strengthened Wednesday into a powerful Category 3 hurricane ahead of its expected landfall in western Cuba, where it was forecast to bring “life-threatening” storm surges, winds and flash floods.

Forecasters say a new tropical storm is expected to form in the Caribbean and will bring heavy rain to Jamaica and the Cayman Islands before strengthening to a hurricane and likely hitting Cuba.

Hurricane Milton plowed into Florida as a Category 3 storm Wednesday, bringing misery to a coast still ravaged by Helene, pounding cities with winds of over 100 mph (160 kph) after producing a barrage of tornadoes, but sparing Tampa a direct hit.

Milton has strengthened into a major hurricane on a path toward Florida not even two weeks after Hurricane Helene swamped the state's coastline.

With so many voters displaced after Helene in the swing state of North Carolina, election officials are receiving guidance from a state that has done this many times before— Louisiana.