Hurricane Michael, Now A Category 3 Storm To Hit SE Alabama

BIRMINGHAM, AL - Now upgraded to a Category 3 hurricane, Hurricane Michael is expected to strike the Florida Panhandle and Big Bend area Wednesday morning. A hurricane warning from the National Weather Service was declared for the Alabama-Florida border to the Suwannee River in Florida Monday.

The storm is now a dangerous, packing sustained winds of 120 mph, and the warning includes Geneva and Houston counties in Southeast Alabama. Hurricane conditions are expected within the warning area along the U.S. Gulf Coast tomorrow, with tropical storm conditions expected by tonight or early tomorrow. Hurricane conditions will also spread well inland across portions of the Florida Panhandle, southeastern Alabama and southwestern Georgia.

Expecting mass power outages and severe thunderstorms in the state when Hurricane Michael makes landfall, Governor Kay Ivey declared a State of Emergency for Alabama.

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"Alabama is once again in the path of a hurricane, but I know Alabamians will once again come together and be prepared for whatever Michael may bring," Ivey said. "On the state level we are prepared, now is the time for residents in south Alabama to review your emergency preparedness plans and also get prepared. Tomorrow we will start seeing the effects of Michael and those in its path will need to take shelter by tomorrow evening. Please stay weather aware today and tomorrow for any forecast changes. Most importantly, heed all warnings and instructions from local authorities."

Alabama Power said its crews are on alert and ready to move quickly to restore power as soon as it is safe. The company is in communication with sister utilities in Georgia, Florida and Mississippi and with other investor-owned utilities in the region through its long-standing mutual-assistance agreements. The mutual-assistance system allows for utilities to quickly assist each other in restoration operations.

Alabama Power is urging customers, especially in the southeastern area of the state, to be prepared and make sure they have their hurricane plans in place. Winds from the storm are likely to bring down trees and tree limbs onto power lines

Southeastern Alabama will likely get the worst of the storm, in cities such as Dothan, Eufaula and Troy.

"Michael could produce three life-threatening hazards along portions of the northeastern Gulf Coast: storm surge, heavy rainfall, and hurricane-force winds, with storm surge and hurricane watches in effect," a statement by the National Weather Service said. Several inches of rain are expected in parts of the state south of the I-85 corridor.

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The Federal Emergency Management Agency has pledged personnel and supplies. Jeff Byard, associate administrator for FEMA's Office of Response and Recovery, said in a press conference this morning that hurricane will likely strengthen to a Category 3 in the next 12 hours as it moves into the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

FEMA's national response center in Washington, D.C., and Atlanta have been activated and FEMA teams are now embedded throughout the Panhandle, Byard said.

Image via NWS