Where Is Hurricane Michael Located Now? Tropical Storm Moving Northeast Through North Carolina, Virginia
What was once Hurricane Michael weakened into a tropical storm on Thursday as it moved northeast through the United States. Michael was located about 25 miles south of Greensboro, North Carolina, on Thursday afternoon, the National Hurricane Center.
Michael was moving northeast at about 23 miles per hour, bringing winds of up to 50 miles per hour. The storm was producing flash flooding across parts of North Carolina and Virginia, carrying tropical storm force winds to the northeast part of South Carolina as well as Eastern North Carolina.
Michael was expected to move across central and eastern North Carolina on Thursday, before heading across southeastern Virginia in the evening. It was expected to move into the western Atlantic Ocean on Thursday night.
Though the storm weakened dramatically after making landfall as a Category 4 storm in Florida on Wednesday, watches and warnings were still in effect for areas on the eastern seaboard. From North Carolina's Ocracoke Inlet, in the Outer Banks, to Duck, a storm surge watch was in effect, the National Hurricane Center said. A tropical storm warning was in effect from Edisto Beach, South Carolina, to Duck, North Carolina, as well as for Pamlico and Albemarle Sounds. The Weather Prediction Center said flash flooding was likely from North Carolina into Virginia.
"The greatest risk from the late morning into the early afternoon will be from western North Carolina into southwest Virginia," the WPC said. "However, flash flooding will become possible over much of North Carolina and the Southern half of Virginia during that time. Some of the flash flooding could be significant and life-threatening, particularly in areas of increasing terrain near the North Carolina–Virginia border."
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper urged residents to take precautions despite the storm's weakened state.
"Inland hurricanes and tropical storms are life-threatening and can do just as much damage as coastal storms," said Cooper.
The storm left a trail of devastation in its wake after making landfall in Mexico Beach on the Florida panhandle Wednesday. Michael left catastrophic damage in Florida's Mexico Beach, Panama City and other regions thanks to winds of up to 155 miles per hour and severe rain and flooding. Panama City Beach Mayor Mike Thomas said the storm was unlike anything he'd ever seen, while Florida Governor Rick Scott called the destruction "unimaginable."
