Hurricane Michael strengthens to Category 2 storm on way to Florida

Hurricane Michael strengthened to a Category 2 storm on Tuesday as it headed for the Florida Panhandle. Tens of thousands of people were told to evacuate the coastal areas in nine counties as the storm moved over the Gulf of Mexico, carrying winds of 100 miles per hour (155km per hour) and disrupting oil production, Reuters reports. Michael could grow to a Category 3 storm on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale before it makes landfall on Wednesday, forecasters said, potentially the most powerful storm to strike the Panhandle in at least a decade. “Hurricane Michael is a monster storm and it keeps getting more dangerous. We’re 12 hours away from seeing impacts,” Florida Governor Rick Scott told reporters on Tuesday. “The time to prepare is now.” He warned of potential deadly impacts from a storm surge that could be as much as 12 feet (3.7 meters) over normal sea water levels, and winds that could rise to 110mph (177kph).