Hurricane Isaias made landfall near Destin, Florida, at around 8 p.m. Eastern Time, according to the Miami-based National Hurricane Center.
Roads in Destin were flooded, while in nearby Pensacola, police warned residents to stay off the streets because of debris across roadways.
While the extent of the damage was not immediately known, many area residents posted pictures online of downed trees and power lines, and one video posted to social media showed a roof being ripped off of an inn in Pensacola.
Some Florida Panhandle counties temporarily suspended emergency response due to dangerous conditions.
More than 697,000 customers were without power across Florida, Alabama and Georgia, according to utility tracker PowerOutage.us.
Tim Mowry, who rode out the storm from his home in Pensacola, said the wind was so intense it sounded like a train whistle as it whipped through a crack in his patio door. He lost power around 4:30 p.m. but was able to rely on a generator. Standing water also covered his backyard, and parts of his fence were ripped down, but overall he said the storm wasn’t as bad as he expected.
“As far as Pensacola-wise, we really got fortunate,” Mowry said.
Mowry said his son, who lives about 15 minutes away, tried to drive to his home after losing power but had to turn around because downed trees and power lines blocked the roads.
CBS/AP