Hurricane Michael: Track and Classification

The storm formed for a board area of low pressure located in the southwest Caribbean Sea at the beginning of October. By the 6th of October, the National Hurricane Center began issuing advisories for the potential tropical cyclone (PTC), and by the end of 7th, the storm had become a tropical storm. On October 8th, the storm strengthened to hurricane status, and Hurricane Michael went through a rapid intensification as it passed through the Yucatan channel and into the Gulf of Mexico.

On October 9th, Hurricane Michael became a major hurricane, and its rapid intensification continued as it moved north at nearly 15 mph and approached the Florida coast. On October 10th, Hurricane Michael made landfall near Mexico Beach, FL with sustained winds of 155 mph.

Once inland, Michael began to weaken, and twelve hours later was downgraded to a tropical storm. The storm tracked across the Southeast and impacted Georgia, before moving across South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia on October 11th. The next day, the storm became extratropical moved over the Atlantic Ocean. The remnants of Michael made landfall in Portugal on October 15th before it finally dissipated.