Supercharged by abnormally warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico, Hurricane Michael slammed into the Florida Panhandle with terrifying winds of 155 mph Wednesday, splintering homes and submerging neighborhoods. Ralph Northam (D) declared a state of emergency Thursday afternoon in aniticipation of heavy rain and high winds from Tropical Storm Michael. On Friday morning, conditions will dry out, but the winds will pick up, Ricketts said, reaching 35 mph for most of the area and with gusts hitting 50 to 60 mph south and east of D.C.

Ricketts called for Michael to be a tropical depression, or a post-tropical depression, by the time it gets to the WTOP listening area, and to be pushed off the coast of Virginia by the cold front.
Heavy rain and strong winds from Michael are expected in the Carolinas, Georgia, and Virginia on Thursday.