THE LATEST: MICHAEL WILL STAY STRONG DESPITE MOVING INLAND
By The Associated Press
PANAMA CITY, Florida (AP) – The Latest on Hurricane Michael:
2:30 p.m.
The director of the National Hurricane Center says Michael is going to keep its strength even as it moves into Alabama and Georgia.
By 2 p.m., Michael still had top sustained winds of 150 mph as its core moved over Florida’s Panhandle.
Michael made landfall near Mexico Beach, Florida, earlier Wednesday afternoon with 155 mph winds.
Hurricane center director Ken Graham says that when a storm comes ashore with winds that strong, “it’s going to stay a hurricane for a while.”
Michael’s large size means its winds will continue pushing storm surge inland as well. The hurricane center said a National Ocean Service water level station in Apalachicola has reported storm surge of nearly 8 feet above ground.
