Hurricane Michael: Florida braced for impact TONIGHT — 110MPH winds to BATTER coast
The NOAA’s National Hurricane Centre forecasters said in their 2pm update Michael is churning across the Gulf of Mexico, carrying maximum winds of 110mph.
Hurricane Michael, which is located 335 miles south of Panama City and moving north at 12mph, is expected to pick up more power before slamming into the popular white beaches of the Panhandle.
Storm warnings have been issued across most of the Gulf Coast, from Tampa to much of the Panhandle.
Warnings have also been been expanded to the US east coast, from Fernandina Beach — just north of Jacksonville — to South Carolina, as forecasters fear the storm will spread rapidly as it moves inland. Hurricane Michael is expected to hit Georgia and the Carolinas, which is only just recovering from widespread flooding unleashed by the powerful Hurricane Florence last month.
Forecasters have warned heavy rain could spark the same kind of life-threatening flash flooding in the Big Bend, Panhandle, Georgia and South Carolina and have continued to warn Michael’s storm surge is the most serious threat to the coast as the bend in the coastline traps destructive waves.
Storm waters as high as 12 feet could pound the coast, from Indian Pass to the island of Cedar Key, where a hurricane pushed ashore a deadly 10-foot storm surge that killed 100 people in 1986.
Bur forecasters fear serious hazards could also have a huge impact dozens of miles inland, with storm surges possibly flooding rivers while Tallahassee could be battered by winds of 75mph. NHC director Ken Graham said: “The heavy rain plus the winds, that’s what saturates and knocks down a lot of trees. It’s not just a coastal issue.”
Forecasters have warned Hurricane Michael will increase to a major Category 3 storm, with sustained winds topping 125mph over the next 24 hours.
The UG Geological Survey (USGS) has also warned ocean waves could reach a massive 40 feet in height and said storm surge could be higher than hurricane forecasters had initially predicted, reaching up to 20 feet above normal between the islands of Cape San Blas and St. George.
Kara Dorn, an oceanographer and head of the USGS’s Coastal Change Hazards Storm Team, said in a statement: “As the storm approaches the coast, the shallow sea bed will reduce that wave height somewhat. “But water levels in some parts of the eastern Florida Panhandle coast will still be high enough to overwhelm the dunes, which are relatively low and narrow.”
On Monday, mandatory evacuations of residents were ordered in areas including Wakulla, Franklin, Gulf and Bay counties, which are forecast to be impacted most by the huge winds and highest storm surge.
Voluntary evacuations were also ordered for Santa Rosa, Hernando, Leon and Liberty counties.
Florida Governor Rick Scott has expanded a state of emergency to 35 counties, while health officials are checking on facilities that care for the elderly, which have been told to install generators and file evacuation plans in preparation for Michael. Ambulance teams will also be on standby, as well as wildlife officers in rescue vehicles and a further 400 additional highway patrol officers on 12-hour shifts to help with worsening road conditions, including the closure of bridges.
Mr Scott is also keen to avoid problems caused by Hurricane Irma just over a year ago when a lack of workers left many local shelters under-staffed.
He said: “My expectation is if you are a health care facility you have a responsibility to take care of those patients.
“We’re going through county by county to make sure we have all the shelters we need.”