Hurricane Michael Slams Into Florida Panhandle As A Category 4 Storm

Hurricane Michael slammed into the Florida Panhandle as a monstrous Category 4 storm with sustained winds of 155 miles-per-hour on Wednesday (October 10) afternoon. Michael rapidly gained strength in the Gulf of Mexico, growing from a tropical depression to one of the strongest storms to ever hit the Panhandle in just a few days.

Forecasters are warning that life-threatening storm surge and high-winds could devastate areas both on the coast and further inland. They said that the storm surge could be as high as 14 feet in some areas. 

"The water will come miles inshore and can easily rise over the roofs of houses," Florida Governor Rick Scott said.

The sustained winds dropped to 125 miles-per-hour as Michael moved inland, but the storm is still extremely dangerous, and conditions are only going to get worse for residents who decided to stay. 

"We expect conditions across the Panhandle to begin deteriorating rapidly," Scott said. "Now the storm is here. It is not safe to travel across the Panhandle."

One video shared on Twitter shows a newly constructed building collapsing due to the high winds. 

Ginger Zee, the Chief Meteorologist at ABC News, shared multiple videos on Twitter from her condo building as Michael barreled through her neighborhood. In one of the videos, she describes seeing a house that was washed off of its foundation by the storm surge. 

After the worst of the storm was over she shared a photo from her condo building that showed the destruction caused by the storm as it made landfall. She said that her building was not damaged by the storm. She also posted a video detailing the devastation in her neighborhood. 

Photo: Getty Images