Hurricane Isaias has crossed the US coastline in Florida after an unusually quiet Atlantic season so far this year. 

Isaias is the latest-forming first hurricane since at least 1905 and the first in the Atlantic basin since Melissa last October, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) says. 

The Atlantic hurricane season has been quiet in part due to a strong El Nino, which can suppress tropical cyclone formation in the Atlantic and increase activity in the Pacific. 

Isaias peaked at category three intensity before reaching the coast near Destin in the Florida panhandle at about 9:30pm Friday local time. It crossed at category two strength with maximum sustained winds of about 168 km/h, before being downgraded. 

The Insurance Information Institute says Isaias is the first hurricane to make US landfall since Milton struck Siesta Key in Florida on October 9 2024, while it’s the ninth named storm this season, which runs until November 30. Tropical storms Bertha and Edouard previously crossed the Louisiana coast. 

Insurer State Farm said yesterday it had received more than 3000 total claims across states impacted by Isaias and anticipated many more as people return to their homes and survey damage. The states with the highest claim counts are Florida, Alabama, and Georgia. 

In the Pacific, NOAA is monitoring Hurricane Simon, which is expected to slowly weaken before moving inland across west-central Mexico around midweek. 

The most recent advisory says the category 3 hurricane is generating sustained winds near 195 km/h.