Zimbabwe declares disaster after hailstorm damages 8,500 homes

Isaias logs 975 mb pressure; rare tornado hits Australia

Zimbabwe’s government declared a state of disaster in south-eastern Masvingo province on Tuesday after a severe hailstorm caused widespread damage to homes and critical infrastructure, according to the Guardian’s weather tracker.

Preliminary assessments found the storm tore roofs from 8,500 homes and left 15,300 people with shattered windows, exposing many residents to the elements as the country’s rainy season begins.

The hailstorm badly affected the country’s power infrastructure, disrupting drainage and sewerage systems and raising concerns about public health.

Hurricane Isaias, in the Atlantic, logged a minimum central pressure of 975 millibars and sustained winds of 80 mph as the first hurricane of the 2026 season, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The Guardian reported that the season’s first hurricane has not formed this late since 8 October 1905, a date that predates the satellite era of hurricane tracking that began in the 1960s and has since allowed meteorologists to identify more non-landfall hurricanes. The Guardian attributes the 2026 season’s quiet to a strong El Niño.

NOAA forecast that Isaias would strengthen to a Category 2 hurricane before making landfall on the U.S. northern Gulf coast on Friday evening local time. The agency expects the storm to bring 75 to 150 millimeters (2.9 to 5.9 inches) of rain across the Gulf coast, with up to 250 millimeters in some locations.

The rainfall could produce flash flooding and isolated river flooding. The agency also said there was an increasing likelihood of life-threatening storm surge along portions of the northern Gulf coast and damaging hurricane-force winds over portions of the Florida panhandle, southern Alabama, and Mississippi.

A hurricane warning has been issued, and residents have been told to prepare for long power outages and to obey any evacuation orders issued.

In Dauphin Island, Alabama, Larry Smith boarded up his home with plywood ahead of the expected landfall, according to a photograph by Octavio Jones/AP. In Mobile, Alabama, residents picked up sandbags in anticipation of the hurricane, according to a photograph by Octavio Jones/AP.

In Australia, a rare tornado struck the town of Ulladulla, about 140 miles (230 kilometers) south of Sydney, on 3 October. Tornadoes are relatively rare in Australia, where about 50 occur each year. The Ulladulla tornado damaged properties and felled trees.