Tropical storm Michael has become a hurricane as the storm gets ready to move into the Gulf of Mexico. Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center in Miami say Michael will move over very warm waters and could strengthen into a major hurricane with winds topping 111 mph (178 kph) by Tuesday night. Michael was lashing western Cuba late Monday morning with heavy rains and strong winds. According to the hurricane center, Michael’s top sustained winds were around 75 mph (120 kph). The storm was moving north around 7 mph (11 kph). The storm was centered about 50 miles (80 kilometers) off the western tip of Cuba, and about 140 miles (220 kilometers) east-northeast of Cozumel, Mexico. Michael is forecast to make landfall by midweek in Florida’s Panhandle or Big Bend.
The director of the National Hurricane Center says Florida’s Big Bend could see up to 11 feet (3.35 meters) of storm surge after Tropical Storm Michael strengthens into a hurricane over the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Ken Graham says the storm’s large size, strong winds and heavy rains could produce a lot of flooding, and the shape of this stretch of coastline makes it particularly vulnerable to storm surge. Water being forced on shore by the storm could get trapped in estuaries and rivers and pushed inland. According to the forecast, parts of the Tampa Bay area and the western Florida Panhandle also could see up to 4 feet (1.2 meters) of storm surge. A tropical storm that rapidly formed off Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula has gained new strength and could become a dangerous Category 2 hurricane with an expected midweek strike on the Gulf Coast in the Florida Panhandle, forecasts say. Florida Gov. Rick Scott issued an order for a state of emergency for 26 counties to rush preparations in the Florida Panhandle and the Big Bend area, freeing up resources and activating 500 members of the Florida National Guard ahead of Tropical Storm Michael.
“This storm will be life-threatening and extremely dangerous,” Scott said Sunday after receiving a briefing at the State Emergency Operations Center. He warned that storm surge could affect areas of Florida not in the storm’s direct path. Michael emerged Sunday as a tropical storm with winds of up to 50 mph (85 kph). By Monday morning, the storm’s maximum sustained winds were near 70 mph (110 kph). Michael was expected to become a hurricane later in the day. It’s expected to move over the Yucatan Channel and then crosses the Gulf of Mexico, nearing the Florida Panhandle coast by Wednesday. As of 8 a.m. EDT Monday, the storm was centered about 120 miles (190 kilometers) east-northeast of Cozumel, Mexico, and moving to the north at about 7 mph (11 kph). Tropical storm winds extended out 175 miles (280 kilometers) from the storm’s center. Forecasters advised residents along the northeastern and central U.S. Gulf Coast to monitor the storm’s progress. The north Florida city of Tallahassee on Sunday opened two locations where residents could get sandbags in case of flooding. “While the impacts are still uncertain, our area could experience increased wind activity and heavy rainfall, which could cause localized flooding and downed trees,” Tallahassee officials said in a statement. Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, who is the Democratic nominee for governor, had planned to campaign in South Florida Monday and Tuesday, but he said he would return to Tallahassee to help with storm preparations.
