PANAMA CITY, Fla. _ A ferocious Hurricane Michael made landfall east of Panama City, Fla., Wednesday with pounding 155-mph winds, just shy of a Category 5 storm.
The storm, the first-ever powerful Category 4 storm to land in the Panhandle, crashed ashore at 1 p.m. local time about five miles northwest of Mexico Beach, a quiet beach town with a population under 1,200. Wind speeds fell just two miles per hour short of the more dangerous storm category.
As it roars inland, National Hurricane Center forecasters warn Michael will continue to spread dangerous storm surge and winds as its back half batters the coast. Surge near the Tyndall Air Force Base, where personnel were evacuated Tuesday, could reach 14 feet.
The storm's core is expected to continue crossing the Panhandle Wednesday afternoon, and move quickly into southeastern Alabama and Georgia later in the day. Its forward speed remains 14 mph, but that should speed up in the coming hours.
Damaging hurricane winds continue to extend about 45 miles from Michael's center, with tropical storm force winds reaching 175 miles.
Throughout the morning as the storm neared, heavy wind and surging waters pounded the coast. Coastal roads flooded as waters rose. In Apalachicola, the National Weather Service recorded water levels at 6.4 feet.
In the old paper mill town of Port St. Joe, wind gusts were recorded at 106 mph. Bay, Gulf and Franklin counties were under extreme wind warnings after National Weather Service meteorologists warned gusts could top 130 mph. A wind gauge at the Tyndall Air Force Base recorded a 130 mph gust before it failed, the National Hurricane Center said. The base just north of where Michael made landfall moved its F-22 Raptors stealth fighters moved to Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio earlier in the week.
As the storm rolls ashore, it's expected to quickly weaken. However, forecasters warned heavy winds, rain and storm surge could continue throughout the day as the storm veers across Georgia and into the Carolinas.
Despite urgent evacuation orders that began Monday, many residents hunkered down for the sudden hurricane, which formed just two days ago in the southern Gulf of Mexico.
"This is probably the safest spot in town," Brian, a retired airline pilot who would only give his first name, said as he took refuge in his shiny Mercedes-Benz in a hulking concrete garage as winds worsened near downtown Panama City. He originally planned to ride out the storm in his 40-foot sailboat, until the marina kicked him out.
"A boat was probably not the best place to be," he said.
His luxury car was stuffed with supplies and an empty Dominos pizza box, and his iPad for watching movies. As the storm roared, the garage lights flicked off and howling gusts bent trees in a field across the street. Somewhere nearby, a thumping sound repeated over and over, likely a piece of metal clanging against a building.
Earlier in the morning, last-minute gawkers stood on the beach near what's usually a busy tourist hub lined with miniature golf courses, oyster bars and condos.
"I was going to stay here until it got to a Category 4," said Randy Simmons, 57, who came to check on his beachfront condo before heading to another inland property he owns. "This is going to be a big mess."
