Category: Posts EN

Hurricane Isaias Rolls Into the Florida Panhandle

Written by Team Morecast

 

The historically quiet Atlantic hurricane season was broken in dramatic fashion as Isaias slammed into the Gulf coast near Destin, Florida on Friday night. Isaias brought numerous wind gusts over 100 mph (160 kph) to much of the Florida panhandle along with flooding rains and significant storm surge.

 

 

Prior to this week the record strong El Nino has created an inhospitable environment for tropical development across the Atlantic basin for much of the 2026 season. The precursor disturbance dropped torrential rainfall over the highlands of interior Veracruz early in the week, leading to severe flooding. Once over the Gulf, Isaias intensified steadily and was upgraded to a hurricane on Wednesday night. It was the first hurricane of the season, the latest first hurricane of the season on record. Isaias briefly achieved Category 3 (major) hurricane status on Friday, though it weakened slightly just before landfall.

 

 

 

Isaias moved through some of the most dense oil rig concentrations in the Gulf, forcing a pause to over 60% of Gulf oil production. Mandatory evacuations were ordered for residents of the Florida panhandle coast. Pensacola (population around 510,000) was the largest metro impacted by the eyewall. A gust to 102 mph (164 kph) was recorded at the town hall while the town of Jay saw a gust to 118 mph (190 kph). Numerous structures reported major damage including roofs taken off. Downed trees and powerlines were reported across the region, leading to widespread power outages. In fact, nearly a million residents of Florida, Georgia, and Alabama were without power at one point early Saturday. A storm surge of six feet was measured at Panama City, while the entire region saw 8-13 inches (200-325 mm) of rain with rates up to 3 to 4″/hr.

More Catastrophic Flooding in South-Central Texas!

Written by Team Morecast

 

It’s been a year since sudden, catastrophic flooding killed 139 in the Hill Country west of San Antonio, Texas. That death toll included dozens of young girls at Camp Mystic in Kerr County. Now another round of stationary storms and torrential rainfall has pushed rivers to new record levels. Hundreds have been forced to evacuate or have needed emergency rescues.

 

 

 

 

The latest flood disaster began with heavy rains on Tuesday. A severe supercell on the leading edge of the rain mass spawned a tornado over the city of San Antonio on Wednesday (see video above). Rainfall amounts locally over 20 inches (500 mm) have been recorded in the past three days (see map above). Rates have exceeded 2″/hr (50 mm/hr) at times. This multi-day deluge has pushed several rivers into major flood stage, inundating farmland and houses throughout the region. Some of these rivers have seen or will see new record crests, even surpassing the level of the historic July 2025 flood event. The Guadalupe River rose 30 feet (9 m) in just two hours this morning (see graphic below). The Pedernales crested tonight over 34 feet (10.4 m), the highest peak since 1979. Fortunately, new warning systems and protocols have been installed since last year’s devastating floods. Despite the rapid and historic river rises, only one fatality has thus far been blamed on the current flooding.

 

Typhoon Rains Collapse Dam in Southern China!

Written by Team Morecast

 

Torrential rainfall from Typhoon Maysak has unleashed catastrophic flooding in the province of Guangxi. Reports indicate as much as 750 mm (30 inches) fell in 24 hours, overpowering drainage systems and surging streams and rivers over their banks. The Yujiang River is expected to peak nearly 6 m (20 feet) above the flood stage at Guigang Hydrological Station by Tuesday evening.

 

 

 

 

Officials in the regional capital of Nanning raised the emergency flood response to Level One, its highest level, as President Xi urged an “all-out” rescue effort. Neighboring Hubei province also saw significant impacts with eleven dead and thousands of homes damaged. A snake farm in a small Guangxi town was destroyed, releasing around 900 specimens much to the consternation of local residents (see video above). The flooding has prompted more than 48,000 residents to evacuate their homes. The dams of at least three reservoirs in the region have been overtopped or damaged. One (at Liulan Reservoir) suffered a partial failure. The resulting floodwaters surged downstream so fast that some residents were forced to evacuate to the roofs of their homes or buildings (see videos above).

SUPER TYPHOON BAVI RAVAGES MARIANA ISLANDS!

Written by Team Morecast

Bavi passed directly over the island of Rota, a U.S. possession about 40 miles (65 km) northeast of Guam, on Monday morning local time. At the time Bavi boasted sustained winds of 180 mph (290 kph), putting it well into “Super Typhoon” status. It’s only the sixth time in US history that a storm of that category or equivalent has made a direct landfall on U.S. territory. Residents of all the Northern Marianas from Guam up to Saipan and Tinian were urged to take extreme life-saving precautions. In addition to the destructive winds, a deadly storm surge and waves of more than 20 feet (6 m) were forecasted. Officials on Guam reported that emergency evacuation centers were already straining capacity on Sunday afternoon. Typhoon Sinlaku, of similar track and magnitude in April, caused over $1.5 billion worth of damage in these islands along with a death toll of 17. Some residents are still without power more than two months later.

Officials announced that they will begin damage assessments in earnest this (Tuesday) morning as Bavi continues to pull steadily away to the west. But the mayor of Rota has already reported major damage, including the almost total destruction of his own office (see video above). Officials in Guam report that almost a third of the island’s water wells are offline. Wind gusts at the airport in Saipan exceeded 100 mph (160 kph) during the height of the storm with numerous power outages reported. Bavi is expected to gradually weaken but threaten Taiwan and Japan’s Ryukyu islands late this week.