NEWS ITEM ON HURRICANE MICHAEL ISSUED BY THE BAHAMAS DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLOGY FORECAST OFFICE
DATE: 12PM WEDNESDAY 10TH OCTOBER 2018.
…CORE OF EXTREMELY DANGEROUS HURRICANE MICHAEL CLOSING IN ON THE COAST OF THE
FLORIDA PANHANDLE…LIFE-THREATENING STORM SURGE…HURRICANE FORCE WINDS…AND
HEAVY RAINFALL IMMINENT…
AT 11:00AM EDT, THE EYE OF HURRICANE MICHAEL WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 29.4°NORTH AND
LONGITUDE 86.0° WEST OR ABOUT 145 MILES SOUTH-SOUTHWEST OF PANAMA CITY FLORIDA OR 65
MILES WEST-SOUTHWEST OF APALACHICOLA FLORIDA.
MICHAEL IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTH-NORTHEAST NEAR 14 MPH. A TURN TOWARD THE NORTH IS
EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON OR TONIGHT. A MOTION TOWARD THE NORTHEAST AT A FASTER
FORWARD SPEED IS FORECAST ON THURSDAY THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT. ON THE FORECAST TRACK,
THE CORE OF MICHAEL IS EXPECTED TO MOVE ASHORE ALONG THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE THIS
AFTERNOON, MOVE NORTHEASTWARD ACROSS THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES TONIGHT AND
THURSDAY, AND THEN MOVE OFF THE MID-ATLANTIC COAST AWAY FROM THE UNITED STATES ON
FRIDAY.
DATA FROM AN AIR FORCE RESERVE HURRICANE HUNTER AIRCRAFT INDICATE
THAT MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 145 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS. MICHAEL IS AN
EXTREMELY DANGEROUS CATEGORY 4 HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON HURRICANE WIND SCALE.
SOME STRENGTHENING IS POSSIBLE BEFORE LANDFALL. AFTER LANDFALL, MICHAEL IS FORECAST
TO BECOME A POST-TROPICAL CYCLONE ON FRIDAY AND STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST AS THE
SYSTEM MOVES OVER THE WESTERN ATLANTIC.
