Hurricane Isaias to Impact Southeast and Heatwave Easing in California 10-08 to 10-10

CONUS — Get ready for an active weather weekend! Florida Panhandle, southern Alabama, and southern Mississippi will face Hurricane Isaias by Friday night, bringing severe winds, around 5 inches of heavy rain, and storm surge. Meanwhile, folks in central and southern California can expect a break from the heatwave starting Friday. Those in Montana and Washington could see wet snow by early Saturday. Across the East Coast, expect a warm-up with highs reaching the 70s by Thursday.

Southeast:
Hurricane Isaias is expected to intensify over the warm Gulf waters and make landfall Friday evening. Residents in the Florida Panhandle, southern Alabama, and southern Mississippi should be prepared for damaging winds, heavy rain, and coastal storm surge. Torrential rain will gradually shift eastward over time, with rainfall reaching up to 5 inches and possibly more in coastal areas. By Saturday morning, Isaias will move inland and start to weaken but will still bring strong winds and rain as it interacts with a frontal boundary.

California and the Desert Southwest:
The ongoing October heatwave across central and southern California and the Southwest shows signs of easing by Friday. The warm temperatures will challenge daily records, but a major shift in the weather pattern will help cool things down. Although the heat will moderate, temperatures will still be above normal into the weekend.

Pacific Northwest:
A big change is heading to the Pacific Northwest with a cold front moving in by Friday. This will bring much cooler air and possibly wet snow in higher elevations of Montana and Washington by Saturday morning. The switch from rain to snow depends on cold air moving in from the north.

East Coast and Northeast:
Temperatures along the East Coast and Northeast will be cooler but gradually warm into the 70s by Thursday. A short-lived cool air intrusion will reach interior New England by Friday, lasting into the weekend.

Other Regions:
The rest of the country will mostly stay dry, aside from some scattered showers in the central Rockies and Four Corners. A front crossing the upper Great Lakes today might bring showers, and the north-central Plains will see new showers early Friday.