Isaias Extends Rain Threat to Ontario After Florida Landfall

Hurricane Isaias moved beyond Florida after making landfall near Destin on Friday evening, bringing damaging winds, flooding rain and tornado risks across the Southeast while its remnants threatened rainfall in parts of Ontario and Quebec. The Weather Network reported the storm reached the Florida Panhandle as a Category 2 hurricane with winds of 165 km/h. The hurricane's eye reached the coast around 9:30 p.m.

EDT, according to The Weather Network. A wind gust of 187 km/h was recorded at Santa Rosa Sound, Florida, as the eyewall passed through the area. Storm warnings and watches remained active across the southeastern United States as Isaias continued inland.

According to The Weather Network, officials warned that strong winds could damage trees and cause power outages in affected areas.

The Weather Network reported that life-threatening storm surge flooding could rise 1 to 2 or more meters above ground level from Dauphin Island, Alabama, eastward toward Panama City, Florida. Rainfall totals exceeding 100 mm had already affected parts of the Florida Panhandle.

Some areas were expected to receive more than 200 mm of rain by the end of the storm weekend, according to The Weather Network. Flash flooding was already occurring in the hardest-hit locations as the system moved inland. The storm's main impacts remained concentrated along the Gulf Coast, but meteorologists were also monitoring the possibility of effects farther north. The Weather Network reported that Isaias' remnants could track toward the Great Lakes by early Sunday.

Parts of southern Ontario could experience rain bands, while areas near Ottawa and Quebec's Eastern Townships could also receive rainfall, according to The Weather Network. A northern frontal system was expected to block tropical moisture from moving farther north. The Weather Network said western parts of southern Ontario were expected to remain in the drier section of the system. Communities from the Golden Horseshoe to Windsor could receive 5 to 10 mm of rain, with locally higher totals of 10 to 20 mm possible.

A tornado risk continued across the Southeast states through Sunday, according to The Weather Network. The greatest threat was expected along and east of Isaias' track as the storm system progressed.