The strongest winds will move ashore between 12 pm and 2 pm and may be as high as 125-130 mph.
The destructive winds will come with a 10-15 foot storm surge from eastern Choctawhatchee Bay east through Panama City, around Cape San Blas to Apalachicola and Saint Marks. The storm surge is likely to be devastating. Storm surge can cause flooding inland along the Apalachicola River, too. Anyone who lives along the river or its tributaries in the Florida Panhandle should consider evacuating.
Heavy rainfall on the order of 5-8 inches is possible for the central Florida Panhandle, Southeast Alabama and Southwest Georgia. Tornadoes are also possible, especially east of Hurricane Michael's center. That will be from roughly Grayton Beach, DeFuniak Springs and Andalusia east through the Florida Panhandle, Southeast Alabama and Southwest Georgia.
In the Tennessee Valley....
Rain will begin increasing around midday Wednesday. While we may have some dry spots, the potential for rain will last through around midday Thursday. Rainfall amounts of a half-inch to an inch are possible with locally higher amounts in spots. Winds will become more gusty, but the highest gusts will be around 20-25 mph and the main focus of Hurricane Michael passes well southeast of us in the Tennessee Valley.
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