Hurricane Isaias: The Okaloosa County Recap

Hurricane Isaias made landfall around 8:30 Friday night near Destin as a Category 2 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. Hours earlier it had peaked at 115 mph over the Gulf. For Okaloosa County, the storm came ashore right on the doorstep.

The preliminary National Weather Service numbers are staggering: 9.65 inches of rain at Shalimar, 9.60 inches at Valparaiso, and about 7.5 inches in Destin. Peak gusts hit 84 mph in the Fort Walton Beach area and 82 mph at Eglin Air Force Base. The most violent corridor of winds set up just west of the landfall point, where gusts topped 110 mph toward Santa Rosa Sound.

Water was the story here. Highway 98 at the Hurlburt overpass closed overnight and is back open. Hollywood Boulevard by the Fort Walton Beach police and fire station flooded and reopened. Today, water over the road closed the Pond Creek bridge near Crestview, and Highway 393 had water on both sides of the Poverty Creek bridge.

FDOT cut-and-toss crews rolled before sunrise Saturday, and FPL and CHELCO have brought in armies of linemen to restore power. Keep the roads clear and give them room to work.

River flood warnings remain in effect across the county through the weekend – never drive through water covering the road. If you spot a hazard, report it to the county.

Photos: Florida Department of Transportation and the Florida Division of Emergency Management. Maps and numbers: National Weather Service Mobile (preliminary). Landfall data: National Hurricane Center.