Hurricane Michael Forecast To Hit U.S. Gulf Coast As A Major Storm Wednesday
The storm reached hurricane status Monday morning; it's expected to strengthen rapidly over the next 24 hours as it heads north towards the Florida Panhandle.
Updated at 1:54 p.m. ET
Hurricane Michael is expected to strengthen rapidly over the next 24 to 36 hours and will be "a dangerous major hurricane when it reaches the northeastern Gulf Coast on Wednesday," the National Hurricane Center says.
The storm became hurricane status with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph in forecasters' update Monday
