THURSDAY EVENING UPDATE:
Michael is now pulling away from the Carolinas and bringing the worst impacts with it. The rain is tapering off, the winds are dying down and the tornado threat is over. Winds will continue to calm this evening. Michael remains a tropical storm with sustained winds of 50 mph. Drier and much cooler weather will move in tonight and waking up on Friday will feel much different.
These are some of the peak wind gusts we saw today as the strongest part of the storm rolled through.
THURSDAY MID-AFTERNOON UPDATE:
Michael remains as a tropical storm as it racing into North Carolina, pulling the worst impacts up with it.
The heaviest rain has tapered off across our area & the tornado threat has moved north of us as well. A Flash Flood Watch remains in effect, for now, as another small area of light rain will move through this afternoon. The gusty winds will slowly die down and stay breezy overnight. The highest winds will remain right along the coastline.
Here’s some of the peak wind gusts across the eastern Carolinas so far today.
Michael will continue to accelerate north this afternoon and the Carolinas will dry out and cool off considerably overnight. Friday morning lows will be in the mid to upper 50s. Friday will be full of sunshine and drier/cooler temps.
THURSDAY 11:30AM TROPICAL STORM MICHAEL UPDATE:
Tropical Storm Michael continues to race through South Carolina, dumping heavy rain on the Pee Dee.
Doppler radar estimates show some area already receiving 3″-5″ (Estimated)
With the potential for another 1″-2″ into early afternoon.
Winds have also picked up across the area with gusts ion some spots over 45+ mph.
With even higher gusts possible closer to midday and into the early afternoon.
The Tropical Storm Warning will continue into the afternoon as Michael pushes into North Carolina in the early afternoon and further away this evening.
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THURSDAY 6AM TROPICAL STORM MICHAEL UPDATE:
Tropical Storm Michael will continue weaken as it moves across Georgia and into the Carolinas this morning.
It will be windy with periods of rain and thunderstorms.
The wind and rain will continue throughout the day with a slight chance for tornadoes as Michael moves by.
Winds will gust as high as 50 mph.
The worst of the weather will be in the late morning through early afternoon. The wind and rain will wind down late afternoon.
1-3 inches of additional rain is expected today.
WEDNESDAY 8PM HURRICANE MICHAEL UPDATE:
Hurricane Michael will continue to weaken over land overnight, becoming a tropical storm by morning. At 8pm, winds were down to 90 mph, and Michael was down to a category 1 storm.
WEDNESDAY EVENING MAJOR HURRICANE MICHAEL UPDATE:
Hurricane Michael made landfall near Mexico Beach, FL as a major hurricane with winds of 155 mph; just 2 mph short of being a category 5. This is the first category 4 storm to make landfall in the Florida Panhandle &, the 4th strongest in terms of wind speed to ever hit the US mainland.
Michael is slowly weakening as it speeds up and moves inland. Continued weakening is expected and it should be a tropical storm moving through the Carolinas.
Winds of 30 to 50 mph with gusts up to 60 mph are possible Thursday.
Flash Flooding will be an issue in places where heavy rain bands trail over and over, otherwise 2-4 inches of rain are possible between now and Thursday afternoon.
A tornado threat will increase throughout the night and be highest after daybreak on Thursday. Conditions will rapidly improve late Thursday afternoon with drier air being pulled in on the back side of the storm.
NOON UPDATE WEDNESDAY HURRICANE MICHAEL UPDATE:
Hurricane Michael continues to strengthen and now has maximum sustained winds of 150 mph with Cat 5 wind gusts of 165+mph. Michael is moving to the north at 14 mph, but is still expected to make a N/NE shift.
It is forecast to get even stronger before making landfall along the Florida Panhandle this afternoon.
Michael will move through the Carolinas on Thursday as a weakening tropical storm.
During this time, we will see heavy rain, winds of 20-30 mph with gusts to 40 mph and a chance for tornadoes.
Along the coast, and in the Midlands, winds will be stronger at 30-40 mph with gusts to 60 mph.
Rain totals will average 2-4 inches…. but that will come in two batches. Rain today, not associated with Michael will bring 1-2 inches, then another 1-2 inches are possible Thursday with the storm. This amount of rain will bring some minor flash flooding, but major river flooding is not expected.
The tornado threat is low but possible as the storm moves through the area on Thursday afternoon/evening.
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11PM TUESDAY HURRICANE MICHAEL UPDATE:
Hurricane Michael continues to strengthen and peak winds are up to 125 mph. It is forecast to get even stronger, and is now expected to become a category 4 storm before landfall along the Florida Panhandle Wednesday afternoon.
8PM TUESDAY HURRICANE MICHAEL UPDATE:
Hurricane Michael continues to strengthen this evening, and could be close to category 4 strength as it closes in on the Florida Panhandle coast tomorrow.
7PM TUESDAY HURRICANE MICHAEL UPDATE:
Michael is now a major, category 3 hurricane with peak winds of 120 mph. Landfall is still expected tomorrow along the Florida Panhandle.
3PM TUESDAY HURRICANE MICHAEL UPDATE:
Hurricane Michael is forecast to make landfall along the Florida Panhandle as a major, category 3 hurricane tomorrow afternoon. The storm will weaken as it moves over land across Georgia and the Carolinas tomorrow night and Thursday. The storm will be a tropical storm as it moves across our area on Thursday.
This will be a fast mover, with the worst of the storm moving through in just a few hours. I expect the worst to be Thursday between 2pm and 8pm. During this time, we will see heavy rain, winds of 20-30 mph with gusts to 40 mph and a chance for tornadoes. Along the coast, and in the Midlands, winds will be stronger at 30-40mph with gusts to 50 mph. Rain totals will average 2-4 inches…. but that will come in two batches. Rain tonight and tomorrow, not associated with Michael will bring 1-2 inches, then another 1-2 inches are possible Thursday with the storm. This amount of rain will bring some minor flash flooding, but major river flooding is not expected.
NOON TUESDAY MICHAEL UPDATE:
Forecast has not changed much with Michaels track nor the impacts for our area. We still expect 2-4inches of rain with pockets of 5-7. Tropical storm force wind gust 40-60mph and a threat for Tornadoes in our area. Time frame: Showers and storms move in ahead of Michael Wednesday, brief lull, then the real action comes in on Thursday and is out by Friday. Fall temperatures and sunshine for the weekend.
8AM TUESDAY HURRICANE MICHAEL UPDATE:
Hurricane Michael has strengthened into a Cat 2 storm with winds of 100mph and moving north northwest at 12mph.
Tropical Storm Watches have already been issued for the Charleston area. We’ll see tropical storm conditions from the Grand Strand to the Pee Dee. See below post for impacts.
5AM TUESDAY HURRICANE MICHAEL UPDATE:
Michael is still a Cat 1 hurricane with winds of 90mph. Pressure is down to 973mb. The storm has picked up speed, moving to the north northwest now at 12mph.
The storm is expected to continue to strengthen through the day and expected to become a Cat 2 hurricane with winds near 105mph by this afternoon. The storm will then move closer to the Florida Panhandle and should make landfall Wednesday afternoon as a Cat 3 hurricane with winds near 120mph.
The storm will continue to move inland north and east towards the Carolinas. The storm will pick up speed and will weaken into a tropical storm as it moves into South Carolina Thursday.
Areas in the Pee Dee and Grand Strand along with the Border Belt should expect Tropical Storm conditions late Wednesday and much of the day on Thursday. The storm will bring heavy rain and strong gusty winds towards the area. We are still expecting the storm to be a fast mover, however, there could be some isolated flash flooding issues along with some minor power outages. Winds are expected to be between 40-55mph with pockets of 60mph wind gust. Rainfall totals will range from 2-4inches but there will be pockets of 5-7 inches of rain. It’s where that heavier rain lies that we could see the potential for that flash flooding.
There will also be a medium chance for a few tornados to form. The best chance for tornadoes will be along and east of the center of circulation. The storm will race off towards the north and east by Friday and we will start to dry out for Friday afternoon and fall like temperatures will arrive for the weekend.
11PM MONDAY HURRICANE MICHAEL UPDATE:
Peak wind speeds are up to 90 mph with the 11pm update. No changes to the forecast.
5PM MONDAY HURRICANE MICHAEL UPDATE:
Hurricane Michael has peak winds of 80 mph, and is moving to the north at 9mph. It is forecast to continue to strengthen as it moves across the Gulf of Mexico, and is forecast to hit the Florida Panhandle as a category 3 hurricane on Wednesday. Michael will weaken as it moves across the Southeast over land, but will still bring heavy rain and wind gusts of 40-50 mph to our part of the Carolinas on Thursday.
11AM HURRICANE MICHAEL UPDATE:
Michael is now a hurricane with winds of 75mph. Michael will continue to strengthen and head towards the Gulf Coast as a Category 3 hurricane. Once the storm moves on land, it’ll pick up speed in motion but weaken into a tropical storm by the time it reaches the Carolinas. The Carolinas will see some impacts from this storm. See post below on some potential impacts.
MONDAY MORNING UPDATE:
Tropical Storm Michael will continue to strengthen and likely to bring tropical storm conditions to the Carolinas by mid to late week. While we will see impacts in the Carolinas, Michael is not a Florence and will be a fast moving system. The impacts felt won’t be as bad.
Wind shear around Michael is expected to decrease while the system moves over warmer waters. This should allow for more strengthening and most models bring Michael to hurricane strength today.
Further more, Michael potential could go through rapid intensification and the National Hurricane Center now has Michael intensifying into a Cat 2 Hurricane with winds near 110 mph by early Wednesday morning before making landfall somewhere along the Florida Panhandle.
The storm is expected to pick up speed as an approaching cold front helps to move the storm north and east. Because the storm is expected to be a bit more stronger, Wind impacts along the Grand Strand and Pee Dee will be higher.
Winds will pick up throughout the day on Thursday. Most models have the wind gusts in the 40 mph range they could possibly be as high as 60 mph.
However, with this fast moving storm, Michael will not produce a whole lot of rain. The storm will bring between 2-4 inches of rain with pockets of higher amounts.
There will also be an Isolated tornado threat north and east of the center of circulation. With this system, we are not worried about Surge, There could be some rough surf and minor surge/minor beach erosion as well.
SUNDAY EVENING UPDATE:
Tropical Storm Michael will continue to strengthen and likely to bring tropical storm conditions to the Carolinas by mid to late week. While we will see impacts in the Carolinas, Michael is not a Florence and will be a fast moving system. The impacts felt won’t be as bad.
As of the 5pm advisory, Michael now has winds of 50mph and moving northeast at 3mph.
Wind shear around Michael is expected to decrease over the next couple of days, while the system moves over warmer waters. This should allow for more stronger strengthening and most models bring Michael to hurricane strength within the next couple of days. Further more, Michael potential could go through rapid intensification and the National Hurricane Center now has Michael intensifying into a Cat 2 Hurricane with winds near 100mph by Wednesday afternoon before making landfall somewhere along the Florida Panhandle.
The storm is expected to pick up speed as an approaching cold front helps to move the storm north and east. Because the storm is expected to be a bit more stronger, Wind impacts along the Grand Strand and Pee Dee will be higher. However, with this fast moving storm, Michael will not produce a whole lot of rain.
The storm will bring between 2-4 inches of rain with pockets of higher amounts and wind gust could be as high as 60mph. There will also be an Isolated tornado threat north and east of the center of circulation. With this system, we are not worried about Surge, There could be some rough surf and minor surge/minor beach erosion as well.
The storm will move out by Friday and the front will push in bringing a much big relief from the heat and finally those fall temperatures we have been waiting for.
SUNDAY AFTERNOON UPDATE:
Tropical Storm Michael has formed and is expected to become a hurricane sometime early week before making landfall in the Gulf States by Wednesday. Michael will then move northeast towards the Carolina’s weakening but will have some impacts to our area.
Here’s the lates track from the National Hurricane Center
SUNDAY MORNING UPDATE:
The StormTracker 13 Weather Team is tracking a tropical depression this morning that is currently over the Northern Caribbean and is expected to move into the Gulf of Mexico by Monday. The storm currently has winds of 35mph and moving WNW at 3mph. The storm is expected to become a tropical storm Michael by Monday and then a hurricane by Wednesday before making landfall somewhere in the Gulf states from Florrida to the Alabama coast.
The storm is expected to be a fast moving system as a cold front approaches from the west picking the storm up and pushing it northeast. The storm is expected to maintain tropical storm statues as it moves through South and North Carolina. This system would be a rain maker for the Carolinas. However, as of right now, because the system is expected to move so fast, we do not see a whole lot of rain to fall. The highest potential would be 2-4 inches of rain for the Pee Dee and Grand Strand with pockets of 5-7inches. The least amount would be 1-2inches if the storm took more of a westward track.
As the storm moves through, there could be gusty winds of 20-30mph and north and east of the center of circulater, there will be a small tornado threat as well.
Stay tuned to News 13 and the StormTracker 13 Weather Team as we continue to monitor the latest information and track.