Hurricane Michael 5:10pm CDT

I'll let the National Hurricane Center have the first word.

click to enlarge

The SFMR is an instrument that can derive surface wind speeds over the ocean. If the those levels are correct, it would mean that Michael was a Cat. 5. We won't know until there has been a post-storm investigation.

As to the storm now, it is a Cat 3 producing wind gusts above 100 mph. Here is the storm at 4:02pm.

The eye of Michael will be moving over Donaldson, Florida shortly.

The main effect of this will be power failures. The bright red area will likely have power failures and the darker red may have power failures.

I'll update again this evening.

BRIEF UPDATE: The photos below are from Mexico Beach where meteorologists expected the worst damage to be. Tragically, that appears to have been correct.

You don't see a row of homes that was washed away. 

Tyndall Air Force Base has been knocked out of commission. 

Storm surge flooding: