The eye wall of the now 150 mph Hurricane Michael is making landfall near Panama City, Florida. This storm has rapidly increased in strength over the past 24, 48, and 72 hours to become a now unprecedented event in the history of the Florida Panhandle.

The National Hurricane Center has forecasted storm surge to exceed 14 feet in some locations in the Big Bend region of northwestern Florida. The NHC has also extended Hurricane Warnings as far inland as southeastern Georgia, with Tropical Storm Warnings extending as far north as the Outer Banks of North Carolina.

The National Weather Service has also extended Extreme Wind Warnings for locations from Panama City to Apalachicola as the eye wall continues to bring winds in excess of 130-150 mph onshore.

Hurricane Michael has made history, not only as being the first category 4 hurricane to make landfall in the Florida Panhandle, nor only with its being  the lowest pressure (919 millibars) recorded in the area, but also with its having formed and struck in the month of October.

For more information regarding Hurricane Michael and its effects, please consult the National Hurricane Center at http://www.nhc.noaa.gov, or the National Weather Service at http://www.weather.gov.

Stay safe!