The prospect of a potentially record-breaking hurricane has triggered panic buying across parts of the United States.
Hurricane watches were issued on Wednesday for areas of Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi and Florida. Forecasters said Tropical Storm Isaias was expected to reach the US coast on Friday as a Category 2 hurricane.
The National Weather Service (NWS) said hurricane warnings were also in effect for offshore waters along the US Gulf Coast. Forecasts called for winds of up to 104mph and waves reaching 36 feet on Friday.
Isaias was expected to move toward the northern Gulf Coast on Friday, with landfall possible that evening or early Saturday. The storm could strike between Biloxi, Mississippi, and Panama City, Florida, placing millions of Americans at risk.
Concern over a potentially devastating hurricane has emptied shelves in towns and cities along the Gulf Coast, as residents stock up on essentials including toilet paper, bottled water and canned food.
Photos and videos shared on social media showed lengthy queues at gas stations and supermarket shelves stripped of supplies.
Mike Brennan, director of the National Hurricane Center (NHC), said on Wednesday that the northern Gulf Coast could face “multiple dangerous, life-threatening impacts” on Friday.
Isaias was expected to become the first hurricane of the 2026 season, making it the latest first Atlantic hurricane to develop in more than a century.
Mississippi is under a hurricane watch, with residents taking precautions as Isaias is forecast to reach the coast at hurricane strength
Forecasters expect the storm to reach Category 1 strength by 8pm ET on Thursday before intensifying into a Category 2 hurricane and making landfall near the Mississippi-Alabama border at about 11pm ET Friday
The NHC said Isaias was moving east-northeastward off the coast of Mexico.
Hurricane specialists at the center said Isaias could produce winds exceeding 100 mph by Friday as it nears the US coastline.
The storm was forecast to strengthen into a Category 1 hurricane by 8pm ET Thursday, then reach Category 2 status before coming ashore near the Mississippi-Alabama border at around 11pm ET Friday.
Brennan said the greatest threat from storm surge was expected to extend from Ocean Springs, Mississippi, to Indian Pass.
“This is where we could see 5 to 7 feet of inundation above ground level somewhere in this area, likely near and to the right of where Isaias crosses the coast,” Brennan said.
The NWS urged people in the storm’s projected path to “act now” and finish preparing, a warning that many residents appeared to be following.
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Florida resident Stephen Page wrote on Facebook: “Stores are already run over, and shelves are empty at many places.
“Lines at gas stations are long, and people are in full prep mode. So again, I say, if you haven’t started, now is the time!”
Images posted by Florida residents showed long gas station queues and supermarket shelves running low as communities prepared for the hurricane. Above, a store in Florida
Florida residents also reported lengthy lines at gas stations as people filled up and stocked up ahead of the storm
Another Floridian, Stephanie Michelle, said she experienced panic buying at the grocery store.
‘The store was full, the parking lot was full, shelves were empty, and the carts were all full! People were everywhere, and traffic was a nightmare,’ she added.
Andrienne Olivia from Florida posted: ‘The panic buying starts now.’
Storm surge could reach four to seven feet above ground in vulnerable coastal areas of southern Jackson County, Mississippi, and Florida’s Walton, Bay and Gulf counties. Southern Harrison County, including Gulfport and Biloxi, could see three to five feet.
The NWS urged people in the storm’s path to ‘act now’ and complete their preparations, advice many appear to be heeding
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The surge forecasts identify Friday morning through Saturday morning as the main period of concern.
A few tornadoes are also possible in the Mississippi coastal areas covered by the alerts.
The Atlantic has yet to produce a hurricane in 2026, putting the season within reach of a record set in 1905 for the latest first hurricane.
If forecast models are correct and Isaias develops into a hurricane, it would be deemed a record-breaking storm.
Meteorologist Matt Devitt said on X: ‘Isaias will likely be one of the most significant storms of the 2026 Atlantic Hurricane Season with a landfall in the US.’