The unexpected Hurricane Michael became a real threat for Florida within a matter of hours. Hurricane Michael was roaring toward the Florida Panhandle and became even stronger before making landfall Wednesday. As of 8 a.m., the hurricane upgraded to an intense Category 4 after gathering strength from the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, packing top sustained winds of 145 mph.
The storm grew so strong so quickly that the National Hurricane Center described Michael as “potentially catastrophic.”
Michael is even being called the worst storm ever to hit the Panhandle. Nearly 30 million people in the Southeast are in Michael’s crosshairs, and weather forecasters and government officials worried about destructive winds and an onslaught of rain, which could reach 13 feet in some areas.
And even though Michael is not expected to significantly affect South Florida, forecasters said it could still bring blustery weather and some tropical rains.
As a result, Gov. Rick Scott issued a state of emergency.
“The time for evacuating along the coast has come and gone,” Gov. Scott of Florida tweeted on Wednesday. “First responders will not be able to come out in the middle of the storm. If you chose to stay in an evacuation zone, you must SEEK REFUGE IMMEDIATELY.”
Other states in the storm’s path are Alabama and Georgia, both of which issued their own states of emergency.
By: Maytinee Kramer
