MIAMI (CBS News) — The National Hurricane Center (NHC) says Hurricane Michael is packing even more punch: It strengthened into a Category 4 storm early Wednesday, with maximum sustained winds of 130 mph. According to the NHC's latest advisory, Michael could produce a life-threatening storm surge as high as 13 feet and dump as much as a foot of rain in some places.
Weather officials say Michael has been drawing energy from warm Gulf of Mexico waters, with ocean temperatures in the mid-80s.
The NHC says some additional strengthening is possible before Michael makes landfall midday Wednesday in the Florida Panhandle or Florida "Big Bend" area. Michael is then expected to weaken as it then moves through the Southeastern United States.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott says Michael is expected to be the most destructive storm to hit the Panhandle in decades. "This storm is dangerous, and if you don't follow warnings from officials, this storm could kill you," he said at a news conference.
"We don't know if it's going to wipe out our house or not," Jason McDonald, of Panama City, said as he and his wife drove north into Alabama with their two children, ages 5 and 7. "We want to get them out of the way." Coastal residents rushed to board up their homes and stock up on bottled water and other supplies.
The National Weather Service in Tampa Bay tweeted an image of Hurricane Michael's eye, which is now close enough to be monitored by land based radar at Eglin Air Force Base in Okaloosa County, Florida.
The Federal Aviation Administration told travelers ahead of Hurricane Michael's arrival to closely monitor their airliner for status updates.
On its website, the FAA says, "because of Hurricane Michael, airlines are likely to cancel many flights in the direct path of the storm and the surrounding areas. Flights that are not cancelled may be delayed. Once Hurricane Michael makes ground fall, airports may be listed as 'open', but flooding on local roadways may limit access to airports for passengers, as well as the employees who work for the airlines or at the airport."
FAA provided links to various airline companies to check flight status:
- Southwest Airlines
- Delta Airlines
- United Airlines
- American Airlines
- JetBlue
- Alaska
- Spirit
- Frontier
- Allegiant
NHC said in its 11 p.m. advisory Hurricane Michael is expected to become a Category 4 storm before it makes landfall in the Florida Panhandle or the Florida Big Bend area Wednesday.
That would mean maximum sustained winds would be at least 130 mph.
After making landfall midday Wednesday, Michael is expected to weaken as it moves across the southeastern United States.
The storm was located about 220 miles south-southwest of Panama City, Florida, and about 200 miles south-southwest of Apalachicola, Florida. Michael is moving north at about 12 mph, NHC said.