Hurricane Michael Set to Hit Florida; What's In Store For LI?

Hurricane Michael is expected to hit the Florida Panhandle on Wednesday, bringing with it the potential for life-threatening storm surge and winds along the Gulf Coast. Here on Long Island, we could see some heavy rainfall come Thursday as Michael interacts with an approaching cold front, the National Weather Service says.

There is a 5-10 percent chance of the island seeing tropical storm-force winds (sustained winds of over 39 mph) Thursday night into early Friday.

"At this time, the heaviest rainfall looks to be south and east of the area with a general 1 to 2 inches across the region with the frontal system," the NWS said in a forecast discussion Monday night. "Keep in mind though, there is still a fair amount of uncertainty at this time with locking down the area of heaviest rainfall."

Some mandatory evacuation orders and school closures were issued on Monday in the Florida Panhandle as Hurricane Michael raced toward Florida, gaining strength in the warm Gulf waters.

The National Hurricane Center said Michael could be a Category 3 hurricane with 120-mph winds by the time it reaches the Panhandle. Florida Gov. Rick Scott has declared a state of emergency for 35 Florida counties.

Projections show the hurricane hitting just south of Panama City but Ken Graham, director of the hurricane center, said that's only a guess.

"We always talk about not really paying attention to the exact point of landfall because the extent of impact could stretch well outside the cone," said Graham.

Graham said low-lying areas along the coast are "incredibly vulnerable to storm surge" because the water can get trapped in the series of bays and inlets that stretch along the Panhandle.

The full Long Island forecast:

Tuesday- Areas of fog before 10am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a high near 77. Light south wind becoming southwest 5 to 10 mph in the morning.

Tuesday Night- Patchy fog after midnight. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 65. Southwest wind around 6 mph becoming calm after midnight.

Wednesday- Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high near 78. Southwest wind 3 to 8 mph.

Wednesday Night- A 20 percent chance of showers after midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 67. South wind 6 to 9 mph.

Thursday- Showers, mainly after noon. High near 75. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Thursday Night- Showers, mainly before 2am. Low around 60. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Friday- A 30 percent chance of showers before noon. Partly sunny, with a high near 66.

Friday Night- Partly cloudy, with a low around 50.

Saturday- Mostly sunny, with a high near 61.

Saturday Night- Mostly clear, with a low around 46.

Sunday- Mostly sunny, with a high near 64.

With reporting by D'Ann Lawrence White, Patch Staff

NHC images