Hurricane Michael is forecast to make landfall Wednesday afternoon near Panama City Beach, Florida as a category 4 storm with sustained winds near 145mph.  The destructive winds along with a storm surge up to 13 feet will likely produce catastrophic damage along the Florida panhandle.

Michael would be the first category 4 storm to make landfall in the United States during the month of October since 1954 when Hurricane Hazel hit North Carolina.

The storm will weaken as it moves over the southeastern United States Wednesday night and Thursday.  Michael will likely move directly over central North Carolina as a tropical storm Thursday afternoon and evening.

Scattered showers and storms with locally heavy downpours will be possible Wednesday in North Carolina.  A more widespread and heavier rain is expected Thursday especially from late morning through the evening.  All of the rain in the state should come to an end by either late Thursday night or early Friday morning as the storm accelerates to the northeast.

Much of North Carolina will likely see between three and seven inches of rain from Wednesday through early Friday.  Somewhat lower totals around one to three inches are forecast for the immediate coast.

Rainfall forecast

Wind gusts between 30 and 50mph will be possible Thursday.  With a saturated ground, the gusts could topple some trees causing spotty power outages.

Isolated tornadoes could also spin up Thursday as Michael tracks across North Carolina.  The greatest threat for tornadoes is expected near and east of I-95.

Stay tuned to Weather on the 1s on Spectrum News for updates.