Current Location: 35.1N, 79.7W
Geographic Reference: 45 miles ENE of Charlotte, NC
Movement: Northeast at 26 mph
Max Winds: 45 mph gusting to 60 mph
Organizational Trend: Steady
Forecast Confidence: Average

Michael remains on-track this afternoon. It is accelerating to the northeast at over 25 mph. The very rapid forward speed means that its ability to produce very heavy rainfall will be limited. General rainfall amounts across North Carolina and Virginia will likely be in the 1-2 inch range today, with some heavier amounts in the western mountains. Observations across South and North Carolina over the past several hours indicate that Michael’s winds over land are running 25-35 mph with some gusts as high as 50 mph in heavier showers/thunderstorms. We have seen a few reports of tropical storm-force sustained winds along the beaches of South Carolina over the past hour.

Michael will be reaching the coast near the North Carolina/Virginia border late this evening. By then, it will have started its transition to an extratropical storm. When this occurs, its wind field will expand and its winds will increase northwest and north of the center. This could result in some tropical storm-force winds over coastal counties of Virginia and North Carolina.

By sunrise on Friday, Michael will be well off the East U.S. Coast and racing out to sea.

Our next full advisory will be issued by 4 PM EDT.

Meteorologist: Chris Hebert

Lat.	Lon.	Max Sustained Winds	Category
35.10N	79.70W	45 mph	Tropical Storm