Hurricane Michael headed toward Florida

Hurricane Michael is expected to become a major hurricane later this week as it is forecasted to make landfall in the Florida Panhandle. Michael is currently churning in the Gulf of Mexico with sustained winds of 90mph and moving toward the north at 12 miles per hour. Hurricane Warnings are posted for part of the Florida Panhandle, from the Alabama/Florida border east toward the Suwannee River. Michael is expected to bring winds in excess of 100mph and inches of rainfall to cities within the Hurricane Warning Tuesday night into Wednesday.

The National Hurricane Center is also forecasting life-threatening storm surge in excess of 9 feet in spots along the Florida Panhandle.

RELATED: What is storm surge and why is it dangerous?

Storm Surge is the height water will rise above sea level due to the storm.

The highest rainfall with Michael is expected to be along the Florida Panhandle with cities receiving 6"-10" and isolated areas closing in on a foot of water. As Michael moves north into the Carolinas, heavy rainfall will also fall in spots that were drenched by Hurricane Florence last month. 3"-7" of rain is expected in parts of North and South Carolina by the end of the week.