National Hurricane Center
Hurricane Michael has made landfall in Florida’s panhandle as a powerful Category 4 storm. As the storm reached Florida’s coast, it gained strength, with winds topping 155 miles per hour. Michael will be moving through Florida and headline into Georgia, set to bring some nasty weather to several cities in town in the southeast portions of the state. The storm is moving north east at 14 miles per hour.
Hurricane Michael will make its way over the Florida-Georgia border this evening. The worst of the storm is expected to arrive in the area just after midnight.
A State of Emergency Has Been Issued in 108 Counties
Georgia Governor Nathan Deal said that Hurricane Michael is “unlike any storm that we have had in anybody’s memory.” He has issued a state of emergency for 108 counties.
A hurricane warning is in effect in southwestern Georgia, while a tropical storm warning is in effect for several other areas. Between 4 inches and 8 inches of rain are expected in southwest and central parts of the state.
Based on the latest forecast for Hurricane Michael, I have expanded yesterday’s emergency declaration to include an additional 16 counties: Butts, Clarke, Columbia, Elbert, Greene, Jasper, Lamar, Lincoln, McDuffie, Monroe, Morgan, Oconee, Oglethorpe, Putnam, Taliaferro & Wilkes.
High Winds Are Going to Move Into the Area Later Today
High winds are going to move into the area over the next couple of hours. Hurricane Michael currently has sustained winds of 155 mph. As you can see on the map below, much of Georgia will see some very high sustained winds, upwards of 90 miles per hour with higher gusts possible.
“I still do not get the sense that people in Georgia in places like Bainbridge, Albany, Columbus, Macon, Augusta, Savannah, Perry, Thomasville, Dublin know what they are about to get. Impacts will be wide-ranging,” former president of the American Meteorological Society Marshall Shepherd wrote on Facebook.
Hurricane Michael will pull out of Georgia by Thursday night, moving swiftly through the Carolinas before heading out to sea.
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