TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- A tropical weather system rapidly strengthened Monday into Hurricane Michael Monday and is likely to keep growing stronger ahead of an expected strike on Florida's Panhandle by midweek, forecasters said. Florida and Alabama have both declared states of emergency. Michael was likely to strengthen into a Category 2 hurricane sometime Tuesday, meteorologist Danielle Niles of CBS Boston reports.
Michael could strengthen into a major hurricane, the term for storms reaching Category 3 and higher, with winds topping 111 mph by Tuesday night before an expected strike Wednesday on the Panhandle or Big Bend, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm will spend two to three days over the Gulf of Mexico, which has very warm water temperatures and favorable atmospheric conditions.
Because of that, "there is a real possibility that Michael will strengthen to a major hurricane before landfall," Robbie Berg, a hurricane specialist at the Miami-based storm forecasting hub, wrote in an advisory. Michael's large size, strong winds and heavy rains could produce hazardous flooding along a stretch of Florida's Gulf Coast with many rivers and estuaries where seawater pushed ashore by a hurricane could get trapped, said Hurricane Center Director Ken Graham.
"This is a part of the Gulf of Mexico that is incredibly vulnerable to storm surge," Graham said. Parts of Florida's curvy Big Bend could see up to 12 feet of storm surge, while Michael also could dump up to a foot of rain over some Panhandle communities as it moves inland, forecasters said.
Hurricane Michael is a "monster storm"
Florida Gov. Rick Scott said Monday night Hurricane Michael is a "monster storm" and will be "the most destructive storm to hit the Florida Panhandle in decades." Storm surge can reach 8 to 12 feet and is "absolutely deadly" and "you can't hide form storm surge,"as Scott urged families to take the storm seriously and get prepared. Scott has added 700 more Florida National Guard troops to help in the storm preparation and response, bringing the number to well over 1,000.
"Keep your family safe, keep your pets safe," Scott said. "Now is the time to act ... I want to keep every family safe. Acting quickly and decisively is the most important thing we can do right now." He offered a website families can visit for resources.
Mandatory evacuation orders were issued for residents of barrier islands, mobile homes and low-lying coastal areas in Gulf, Wakulla and Bay counties. In a Facebook post Monday, the Wakulla County Sheriff's Office said no shelters would be open because Wakulla County shelters were rated safe only for hurricanes with top sustained winds below 111 mph.
With Michael's winds projected to be even stronger than that, Wakulla County residents were urged to evacuate inland. "This storm has the potential to be a historic storm, please take heed," the sheriff's office said in the post.
Latest forecast for Hurricane Michael
By 5 p.m. Monday, Michael's top sustained winds were around 80 mph. The storm was centered about 30 miles northwest off the western tip of Cuba and about 520 miles south of Apalachicola, which is in the Panhandle.
It was moving north around 9 mph. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 35 miles from the storm's center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 175 miles.
Michael was lashing western Cuba late Monday morning with heavy rains and strong winds, according to the hurricane center. Forecasters warned that the storm could produce up to a foot of rain in western Cuba, potentially triggering flash floods and mudslides in mountainous areas.
A map made by the National Hurricane Center shows the projected path of Hurricane Michael as of 5 p.m. ET on Oct. 8, 2018.
NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER
A large mound of sand in Florida's capital city of Tallahassee, which is in the Panhandle, was whittled down to a small pile within hours as residents filled sandbags to prepare for potential flooding. A couple breweries in the city offered free filtered water to anyone bringing in growlers, jugs or other containers.
"All indications are that it's going to be severe," said City Commissioner Gil Ziffer, adding that if the storm hits Florida's capital, there would be significant tree damage and power outages. "Hopefully we will have no one hurt and no loss of life."
Closures and evacuations for Hurricane Michael
Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, who is the Democratic nominee for governor, had planned to campaign in South Florida on Monday and Tuesday, but he said he would return to the city to help with storm preparations. Gillum also says Michael's rapid strength has led city officials to hold a "sobering" discussion about the potential impact the storm will have on the area.
Gillum said Monday officials initially thought, "we will have outages and it will be inconvenient." He said, "Today it is about life and safety" -- noting that residents in the nearby coastal county of Wakulla were being forced to keep their shelters shut because they aren't built to withstand severe winds that may come from Hurricane Michael. "There's nothing between us and this storm but warm water and I think that's what terrifies us about the potential impacts," Gillum said.
Further west along Florida's Panhandle, the city of Pensacola tweeted to residents, "Be sure you have your emergency plan in place."
Ahead of the storm, Florida State University announced that it would shut down after midnight Monday and remain closed for the rest of the week. The school's main campus is in Tallahassee, and a satellite campus is in Panama City on the Panhandle's coast.
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