IN THE EYE OF HURRICANE ISAIAS

It was a last-minute decision, but as Hurricane Isaias approached the Florida coast, I decided to take the day off and head for the impact zone in the Florida Panhandle. I had little time to prep my car, cameras and equipment - but in three hours I prepped everything I could to make the nine-hour drive from the Florida Space Coast to Mexico Beach, Florida - the first stop on my travels.

On the way to the impact zone it was evident I was heading the right direction. Armies of utility crews, National Guard and Search and Rescue teams were headed towards the Panhandle to stage to respond to the immediate impact. It's always amazing to watch the logistics. Not sure there is a state that prepares better than Florida.

When I arrived to Mexico Beach, the surfers were out catching waves as the outer bands started hitting the coast. This part of the coast will see 1-2' of surge in addition to tropical storm force wind gusts. The greater impact would be farther east. To I continued my journey closer to Destin and Crestview.

I ran up to I-10. Isaias was still a Category 3 hurricane at this point approaching landfall and I has concerns I did not do enough research on safe places along the coast to escape the storm surge. In the hours leading into landfall, the National Hurricane Center upped the surge potential up to 6-9' above normal dry ground. I decided to play it safe, and head to Crestview, FL just north of the coast along I-10. Signage along the interstate made note of the impending hurricane. I-10 traffic was fairly active headed east, away from the landfall zone, while much less headed west into the landfall zone.

A little after sunset I started getting the stronger wind gusts approaching 60mph. It did not take long for the first signs of damage to show up. Several trees in the Publix (grocery store for those unaware) fell over at the base. Several others lost large branches. The strongest wind was still about two hours away.

While sitting in a parking lot, a street sign flew by my car during a gust that likely topped near 70mph. This sign traveled a third of a mile to reach me. It wouldn't get much farther as the storm's winds continued to increase as it would get stuck in the fence you can see in the background preventing its escape.

I headed to the Walmart parking lot for a bit as the winds really got rocking and rolling. Frequent gusts approached 60mph with sustained wind now over 40mph. During this periods I topped 52mph measured, but I was a little blocked by the building and some trees, so actual gusts were likely higher.

Torrential rain and strong winds continued in the western eye wall. The eye of the hurricane was going to pass just to my east. I had to decide if I wanted to make a trip into the eye, and by what method. I-10 was a possibility but if a tree blocks the interstate you are stuck. My chainsaw could do some cutting, but I wouldn't get through a full tree trunk. The other option was US90, but it was much narrower. While I could turn around easier on a US highway to get back, the likelihood of tree blockage is much higher.

I had to get out and experience the wind though during the strongest part of the storm. Googles equipped the heavy rain was like getting sandblasted. Unlike my four other eye encounters in the past, this was a very unique one. It was very cold in the eye! As this storm started going extra-tropical, losing that warm core of a tropical storm, much colder air aloft started getting pulled to the surface. Air temperatures as the surface were in the low 60s! Very chilly for traditional hurricane intercepts. I needed to turn the heat on in my car!

You never know what you may need to dodge while driving in a hurricane. This porta potty came racing towards me as I was driving into the wind. I have no idea where this originated from but I feel for those that have to deal with this. This was likely the strongfest period for this storm with gusts topping 70mph. I heard a loud crash somewhere to my north and went to investigate. The sound of metal didn't sound good.

That sound was a gas station canopy that completely gave in to the relentless wind. Metal wrapped around the gas pumps. The center of the eye was now just a few miles to my east. This was about the strongest wind we would experience, so it was time to venture into the eye. The decision was to take I-10.

As expected, trees were down on I-10, however it did not completely block the interstate. There was a significant amount of tree debris in the north lanes. The southern-facing lane was a lot more free as traffic helped clear it away. Travel was not completely disrupted on this major thoroughfare in the region which will be very beneficial for response activities going forward.

So, officially hurricane number five is in the books. I didn't think I would get a chance this year with the super El Nino but I'll take it! I need to catch up on some sleep it's been a wild few days. But I am back some, safe and sound! This is the second time I got in the eye of a hurricane on my birthday in three years. Hurricane Milton in 2024 was the other. Good times!

I made an appearance on CNN to talk about the storm and my experience very early Saturday morning. Can you tell I have been awake for 26 hours at this point?

-Meteorologist Nick Stewart