October 11, 2026 — Pensacola and Destin–Fort Walton Beach airports have both reopened to airline flights after Hurricane Isaias. Attention now shifts west, where the remains of Tropical Storm Rachel bring a serious flash-flood risk on Sunday to southeast California, southern Nevada including Las Vegas, northwest Arizona and southwest Utah. The Chicago hotel strike is in its third day with no settlement reported.
This updates our October 10 story, when both Florida Panhandle airports were still closed.
Isaias recovery
| Airport | Status |
|---|---|
| Pensacola (PNS) | Open for scheduled commercial service as of Sunday, October 11, airport officials told WALA Fox10. Opening hour not given. |
| Destin–Fort Walton Beach (VPS) | Reopened Saturday afternoon, October 10. Schedules are changed and staff are still restoring systems; check with your airline. |
| Panama City (ECP) | Open (reopened earlier). |
- Deaths. Four deaths are now reported: two in Escambia County, Florida, and two in Alabama, according to CBS News and the Associated Press.
- Power. Outages fell from a peak above 884,000 customers on Saturday morning to more than 389,000 early Sunday, most of them in Florida, per PowerOutage.us figures cited by CBS News. Boil-water notices cover several Panhandle systems.
- Damage. Drone footage shows roofs torn off and a damaged high-rise at Pensacola Beach, AccuWeather reported.
- The storm itself. The National Hurricane Center issued its final advisory at 4:00 am CDT Sunday with the low over Tennessee. Fox Weather forecasts 1 to 2 inches of rain on Sunday for Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York, a low-level flash-flood risk from New York to the Outer Banks, and another 2 to 5 inches in the southern Appalachians. Conditions improve Monday.
- We found no new reports on Appalachian highway closures or on airline waiver extensions.
Rachel’s remnants: flash-flood risk in the desert Southwest
- The Tropical Storm Watch for the San Diego coast has been dropped. The hurricane center’s last advisory, at 8:00 am MST Sunday, placed Rachel’s remnants near the Arizona–Nevada line.
- Fox Weather reports a Level 3 of 4 flash-flood risk on Sunday for Riverside County in southeast California, northwest Arizona, southern Nevada including Las Vegas, and southwest Utah’s slot canyons.
- Rain of 1 to 3 inches, locally 5, is forecast from Southern California into the Great Basin, with up to 2 inches at Las Vegas and Salt Lake City. Wind advisories run through Monday in parts of California, Arizona, Nevada and Utah.
- Winter Storm Warnings are posted for western Montana through Monday morning.
- We found no airport delay figures for San Diego, Palm Springs or Las Vegas.
Also in the US
- Chicago hotel strike. No settlement and no expansion had been reported as of Saturday night, NBC Chicago said. UNITE HERE Local 1 members remain on strike at the same six downtown hotels and the union says more hotels could be called out at any moment. The hotels are open. We found no Sunday update.
- Ebola entry rules. The CDC order restricting arrivals from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and South Sudan was last extended through today, October 11. We could not find a notice of a further extension, and none of expiry either. Until one appears, assume the rules on the CDC’s returning-travelers page still apply.
- State Department. The Saudi Arabia (Level 3) and Yemen (Level 4) advisories were reissued on October 10 with no change in level. See our separate stories.
- No change: passport processing remains 4 to 6 weeks routine and 2 to 3 weeks expedited. The Atlantic outlook shows one low near Cabo Verde with a 20 percent chance of development and no threat to the US or Caribbean.
What it means for airline travelers
- Pensacola and Destin: you can list again, but expect thin schedules and full flights for a few days. Confirm your hotel has power and safe water before you go.
- Las Vegas, Palm Springs and Salt Lake City on Sunday: thunderstorms and wind can mean ground stops and diversions. Take an earlier flight and keep a backup routing.
- Desert driving: never drive into a flooded wash, and stay out of slot canyons while the flood risk lasts.
- Northeast on Sunday: rain may slow New York, Philadelphia and Washington airports. Standby travelers should allow for misconnects.
- Chicago: if you are booked at a struck hotel, ask what services are running or rebook.
- Returning from central or east Africa: read the CDC returning-travelers page before you fly. An airline cannot fix an entry restriction at the gate.
Sources
- WALA Fox10, “ISAIAS: Pensacola International Airport re-opens”
- WALA Fox10, “VPS reopens after Isaias; flight schedules impacted”
- CBS News, “Thousands still without power in Florida and Alabama as Isaias moves north and clean up continues”
- AccuWeather, “LIVE: At least 4 dead as Isaias leaves widespread damage, tornado and flood threats continue”
- Fox Weather, live updates on Isaias
- Fox Weather, “Post-Tropical Cyclone Rachel fuels major West Coast flood threat with heavy rainfall soaking millions”
- US National Hurricane Center, Remnants of Rachel Advisory 58
- US National Hurricane Center, Atlantic Tropical Weather Outlook
- NBC Chicago, “Chicago hotel workers strike for second day as fight continues for new contract”
- CDC, “Information for Travelers Returning from Ebola-Affected Areas”
- Erickson Immigration Group, “CDC Extends Ebola-Related Travel Restrictions Through October 11, 2026”
- US State Department, Travel Advisories feed
- US State Department, passport processing times
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