Hurricane Michael Winding Up For Quite A Punch, Experts Say

TAMPA, FL – If there were any hopes that Hurricane Michael would fizzle out as it approached land, they were shattered Tuesday evening when a National Hurricane Center meteorologist reviewed the latest data collected by the Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft during its most recent flight into the hurricane.

"The information is not very encouraging," said Stacy Stewart, hurricane specialist and warning coordinator meteorologist. "It shows the pressure falls are quite considerable."

Atmospheric air pressure is measured in millibars. If pressure lowers rapidly, that's an indication that a low-pressure system – or front – is strengthening. Stewart said the air pressure of Hurricane Michael dropped by 12 millibars this afternoon to 955 millibars.

"That's just 7 or 8 millibars away from a Category 4 hurricane," he said. "People could wake up tomorrow with a possible Category 4 hurricane on their doorstep."

And, indeed, that very thing happened, as Michael was upgraded to a Category 4 storm early Wednesday morning.

The National Hurricane Center in its 5 a.m. ET advisory said that Michael carried maximum sustained winds of 140 mph with higher gusts. The eye of the story was about 140 miles south-southwest of Panama City and 130 southwest of Apalachicola. The storm is currently moving at 13 mph.

There was more discouraging news Tuesday afternoon from the hurricane center.

Storm surge specialist Jamie Rhome said the water levels in the Gulf have risen 1 1/2 to 2 feet above normal. Those higher water elevations combined with the expected storm surge of 9 to 13 feet and torrential rainfall of up to 12 inches will put portions of the Panhandle under water, he said.

"We'll see it start pushing water into low-lying areas on the coast and then up rivers and tributaries, causing flooding well inland," Rhome said.

National Hurricane Center Director Ken Graham said 90 percent of the deaths during a hurricane are related to the flooding caused by torrential rains and storm surge.

He said the curved shape of the Panhandle makes storm surge especially hazardous.

"Water gets trapped in the coastline curves and filters into the bays and up rivers for miles and miles," he said. "It's a very dangerous situation."

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The other big concern, he said, is the latest data from the hurricane hunter showing 185-mph hurricane-force winds within a 35-mile radius of Michael's eye wall and 40-mph tropical storm-force winds extending 136 miles beyond that.

That means the hurricane is going to have significant impact on the Florida coastline far beyond the strike zone in the Panhandle, he said. He advised residents all along the coast to brace for impact.

"Don't just concentrate on the cone," he said. "If you take the expanded impact of the winds and rains, it's looking like a very dangerous situation for much of the west coast all the way to Tampa."

Hurricane Michael is currently located 240 miles south of Apalachicola and is moving at 12 mph.

"It's really getting to be a very healthy system and looks as if it will continue to get stronger as it reaches the coast," Graham said.

Video via National Hurricane Center, Image via NWS

Images via AP

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