Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) declared a state of emergency in 25 counties in western Florida in preparation for Tropical Storm Isaias, which was upgraded from a tropical depression on Wednesday.

The system first formed as a tropical depression on Tuesday, and intensity models show it could become the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season’s first hurricane. The National Hurricane Center’s models suggest its route will take it east then north, hitting an area spanning from Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle. DeSantis signed the executive order declaring the state of emergency on Tuesday evening, while the system was still classified as Tropical Depression Nine.