Hurricane Michael: What we know

Steve Kiggins USA TODAY

Published 2:05 AM EDT Oct 10, 2018

Hurricane Michael has been described as destructive. It’s been called a monster. Massive. Life-threatening.

In one final plea on Tuesday, Florida Gov. Rick Scott implored, “You cannot hide from this storm.”

The time for talk is nearly over.

Sometime Wednesday, Michael will come ashore on Florida’s Panhandle, bringing “potentially catastrophic” storm surge, winds and torrential rainfall that could make it one of the worst storms in Sunshine State history. It was upgraded early Wednesday to what the National Hurricane Center called an "extremely dangerous" Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 130 mph.

'The water will kill you': Hurricane Michael: A Category 4 in the making?

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Michael would be just the fourth major hurricane – Category 3, 4 or 5 – to make landfall in the Florida Panhandle since 1950, joining Eloise (1975), Opal (1995) and Dennis (2005).

Where is Michael?

As of 2 a.m. EDT, Michael was positioned about 170 miles south-southwest of Apalachicola, Florida, and about 180 miles south-southwest of Panama City Beach, Florida, moving north at 12 mph.

Michael is expected to follow a northward path through Wednesday morning before the eye of the storm moves inland, according to the hurricane center.

When will it make landfall?

On its current trajectory, Michael will make landfall on Wednesday, likely between 3-6 p.m., CNN reported Tuesday night.

Where will it make landfall?

It’ll be near Panama City, Florida, according to Accuweather. A resort city on the Gulf of Mexico and one of the jewels on Florida’s 300 miles of Panhandle coastline, Panama City has a population of nearly 40,000

What’s the storm surge forecast?

The danger of Michael’s storm surge increased on Tuesday, with 9- to 13-foot surges predicted in some areas of Florida, according to the hurricane center. A storm surge warning is in place for the border of Okaloosa and Walton counties to the Anclote River.

How strong are the winds?

Michael had maximum sustained winds of 130 mph – the bottom end of Category 4 status, and the hurricane center warned that "additional strengthening is possible" ahead of landfall. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 45 miles from Michael’s center and tropical storm-force winds extend outward up to 175 miles.

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