Hurricane Michael is likely to be the most devastating storm to hit the Florida Panhandle in decades. Michael, the 14th named storm of the 2018 Atlantic hurricane season, is expected to strengthen before its projected landfall on Wednesday, threatening the Panhandle with hazardous storm surges.
A state of emergency has been declared in 35 counties, and close to four million people are under hurricane warnings in Florida and areas of Alabama and Georgia. “This storm will be life threatening and really dangerous,” Florida Governor Rick Scott said in a briefing Monday. “This is coming very fast.”
This map created by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows the areas expected to be hardest hit by Michael’s storm surge. The Florida coastline from about Apalachicola to Cedar Key is at risk of surges of nine to 12 feet, with lower surges expected beyond.
For a dynamic version of the map, see NOAA’s website.
