How did Hurricane Michael get so powerful so quickly? It ‘defies traditional logic,’ experts say.

Joe Raedle / Getty Images
PANAMA CITY, FL - OCTOBER 11: Kathy Coy stands among what is left of her home after Hurricane Michael destroyed it on October 11, 2018 in Panama City, Florida. She said she was in the home when it was blown apart and is thankful to be alive. The hurricane hit the Florida Panhandle as a category 4 storm. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, CM - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD **
Devon Ravine / AP
Wyatt Ferreira gets ready to move the charter fishing boat "First Light" from its mooring in the harbor in Destin, Fla., Monday, Oct. 8, 2018. Boat captains in this fishing community were relocating their vessels to safer waters in advance of Hurricane Michael. (Devon Ravine/Northwest Florida Daily News via AP)
Joe Raedle / Getty Images
PANAMA CITY, FL - OCTOBER 11: Amanda Logsdon begins the process of trying to clean up her home after the roof was blown off by the passing winds of Hurricane Michael on October 11, 2018 in Panama City, Florida. The hurricane hit the Florida Panhandle as a category 4 storm. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, CM - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD **
Douglas R. Clifford / AP
The coastal township of Mexico Beach, Fla., lays devastated on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018, after Hurricane Michael made landfall on Wednesday in the Florida Panhandle. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
Gerald Herbert / AP
Debris scatters an area in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael in Mexico Beach, Fla., Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Sean Rayford / Getty Images
COLUMBIA, SC - OCTOBER 11: Hector Benthall, right, gets a hug from his neighbor Keito Jordan after remnants of Hurricane Michael sent a tree crashing into Benthall's home on October 11, 2018 in Columbia, South Carolina. Jordan was the first responder to the accident that sent at least one person to the hospital. (Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images) ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, CM - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD **
EMILY KASK / AFP/Getty Images
Paul Dean cleans up his property in Panama City, Florida, in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael on October 11, 2018. - Residents of the Florida Panhandle woke to scenes of devastation Thursday after Michael tore a path through the coastal region as a powerful hurricane that killed at least two people. (Photo by Emily KASK / AFP)EMILY KASK/AFP/Getty Images ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, CM - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD **
EMILY KASK / AFP/Getty Images
The Slaughter Family saves their merchandise from their antique store inside the collapsed 15th Street Flea Market on October 11, 2018 in Panama City, Florida. - Residents of the Florida Panhandle woke to scenes of devastation Thursday after Michael tore a path through the coastal region as a powerful hurricane that killed at least two people. (Photo by Emily KASK / AFP)EMILY KASK/AFP/Getty Images ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, CM - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD **
Gerald Herbert / AP
People cut away a tree that'll on a vehicle in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael in Panama City, Fla., Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
David Ovalle / TNS
Dogs at the Pawaday Inn kennel in Panama City all survived, even though the walls collapsed, during Hurricane Michael. (David Ovalle/Miami Herald/TNS) ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, TCN - OUTS **
Gerald Herbert / AP
Rescue personnel perform a search in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael in Mexico Beach, Fla., Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Douglas R. Clifford / TNS
James Murphy, 65, emerges from what remains of his home on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018 on a coastal stretch of Port St. Joe, Fla. The home was severely damaged by Hurricane Michael's violent storm surge and wind as it made landfall in the Florida Panhandle. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times/TNS) ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, TCN - OUTS **
Joe Raedle / Getty Images
PANAMA CITY, FL - OCTOBER 11: Trees are stripped of their foliage after Hurricane Michael passed through the area on October 11, 2018 in Panama City, Florida. The hurricane hit the Florida Panhandle as a category 4 storm. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, CM - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD **
Joe Raedle / Getty Images
A trash can and debris are blown down a street by Hurricane Michael on October 10, 2018 in Panama City.
Gerald Herbert / AP
Mishelle McPherson looks her friend Agnes Vicari in the rubble of her home, since she knows she stayed behind in the home during Hurricane Michael, in Mexico Beach, Fla., Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Joe Raedle / Getty Images
PANAMA CITY, FL - OCTOBER 11: Kathy Coy stands among what is left of her home after Hurricane Michael destroyed it on October 11, 2018 in Panama City, Florida. She said she was in the home when it was blown apart and is thankful to be alive. The hurricane hit the Florida Panhandle as a category 4 storm. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, CM - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD **
Jabin Botsford / The Washington Post
Jason Phipps looks through his families roofless apartment in Panama City, Fla., after Hurricane Michael made landfall along the Florida panhandle on Oct. 10, 2018. MUST CREDIT: Washington Post photo by Jabin Botsford. ** Usable by LA, BS, CT, DP, FL, HC, MC, OS, SD, CGT and CCT **
Mark Wallheiser / Getty Images
EASTPOINT, FL - OCTOBER 09: Waves crash against a home seawall as the surge starts pushing the tide higher as Hurricane Michael approaches on October 9, 2018 in Eastpoint, Florida. The hurricane is forecast to hit the Florida Panhandle at a possible category 3 storm. (Photo by Mark Wallheiser/Getty Images)
Joe Raedle / Getty Images
PANAMA CITY BEACH, FL - OCTOBER 11: Gavin Conklin, 17, gathers water bottles from a neighbor's refrigerator after Hurricane Michael destroyed the home on October 11, 2018 in Panama City, Florida. The hurricane hit the Florida Panhandle as a category 4 storm. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, CM - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD **
Sean Rayford / Getty Images
COLUMBIA, SC - OCTOBER 11: A fallen tree rests on a house after remnants of Hurricane Michael passed through on October 11, 2018 in Columbia, South Carolina. The accident sent at least one person to the hospital. (Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images) ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, CM - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD **
Sean Rayford / Getty Images
COLUMBIA, SC - OCTOBER 11: Keito Jordan talks about the tree that fell on his neighbors' house as remnants of Hurricane Michael passed through on October 11, 2018 in Columbia, South Carolina. Jordan was the first responder to the accident that sent at least one to the hospital. (Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images) ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, CM - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD **
EMILY KASK / AFP/Getty Images
The Slaughter family saves their merchandise from their antique store inside the collapsed 15th Street Flea Market in Panama City, Florida. - Residents of the Florida Panhandle woke to scenes of devastation Thursday after Michael tore a path through the coastal region as a powerful hurricane that killed at least two people. (Photo by Emily KASK / AFP)EMILY KASK/AFP/Getty Images ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, CM - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD **
David Goldman / AP
Kylie Strampe holds her four-month-old daughter, Lola, while surveying the damage from Hurricane Michael after riding out the storm in Callaway, Fla., Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
EMILY KASK / AFP/Getty Images
A fallen powerline is seen in front of a home in Panama City, Florida. - Residents of the Florida Panhandle woke to scenes of devastation Thursday after Michael tore a path through the coastal region as a powerful hurricane that killed at least two people. (Photo by Emily KASK / AFP)EMILY KASK/AFP/Getty Images ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, CM - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD **
Joe Raedle / Getty Images
PANAMA CITY, FL - OCTOBER 11: Debris is seen in the trees after hurricane Michael passed through the area on October 11, 2018 in Panama City, Florida. The hurricane hit the Florida Panhandle as a category 4 storm. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, CM - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD **
Douglas R. Clifford / TNS
Charles Smith, 56, left, and Lee Cathey, 37, find a few bottled waters in a displaced refrigerator in the middle of US 98 in the coastal township of Mexico Beach, population 1,200, which lay devastated on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018 after Hurricane Michael made landfall on Wednesday in the Florida Panhandle. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times/TNS) ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, TCN - OUTS **
Joshua Boucher / AP
Julie Logsdon loads her dogs Tobias and Luna into her car in Panama City, Fla., as Hurricane Michael approaches on Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2018. She is evacuating with her husband, four pets and belongings that could get damaged if the house leaks. (Joshua Boucher/News Herald via AP)
Gerald Herbert / AP
A boat sits amidst debris in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael in Mexico Beach, Fla., Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Mark Wallheiser / Getty Images
CRAWFORDVILLE, FL - OCTOBER 11: People line up at a food truck after Hurricane Michael cut power to the Florida panhandle on October 11, 2018 in Crawfordville, Florida. The hurricane hit the Florida Panhandle as a category 4 storm. (Photo by Mark Wallheiser/Getty Images) ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, CM - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD **
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / AFP/Getty Images
People look out to the Gulf of Mexico as Hurricane Michael approaches October 9, 2018 in Panama City Beach, Florida - Hurricane Michael strengthened to a Category 2 storm with winds over 100 miles per hour on Tuesday as Florida's governor warned it could bring "total devastation" to parts of the southern US state. The storm -- currently located over the Gulf of Mexico -- is sweeping toward the Florida coast at around 12 miles (19 kilometers) per hour and is expected to make landfall on Wednesday afternoon, bringing with it "life threatening" storm surges and heavy rainfall, the National Hurricane Center said. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP) BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images
Joe Raedle / Getty Images
PANAMA CITY, FL - OCTOBER 11: People walk past an apartment destroyed by Hurricane Michael on October 11, 2018 in Panama City, Florida. The hurricane hit the Florida Panhandle as a category 4 storm. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, CM - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD **
Chris OMeara / AP
Debris from Hurricane Michael fills a lot Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018, in Mexico Beach, Fla. Hurricane Michael made landfall Wednesday as a Category 4 hurricane with 155 mph (250 kph) winds and a storm surge of 9 feet (2.7 meters). (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / AFP/Getty Images
Residents clear a road of fallen trees in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael on October 11, 2018 in Panama City, Florida. - Residents of the Florida Panhandle woke to scenes of devastation Thursday after Michael tore a path through the coastal region as a powerful hurricane that killed at least two people. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP)BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, CM - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD **
Douglas R. Clifford / TNS
Robert Brock, 27, of Mexico Beach, walks westbound on US 98 through the coastal township, population 1,200, which lay devastated on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018 after Hurricane Michael made landfall on Wednesday in the Florida Panhandle. Brock said he stayed in the city to ride out the storm. "This is a total disaster, there is nothing left," Brock said. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times/TNS) ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, TCN - OUTS **
Patti Blake / AP
Bobby Smith boards up the windows at Jani's Ceramics in Panama City, Fla., on Monday, Oct. 8, 2018, in preparation for the arrival of Hurricane Michael. (Patti Blake/News Herald via AP)
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / AFP/Getty Images
A truck is seen on its side in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael on October 11, 2018 in Panama City, Florida. - Residents of the Florida Panhandle woke to scenes of devastation Thursday after Michael tore a path through the coastal region as a powerful hurricane that killed at least two people. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP)BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, CM - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD **
Devon Ravine / AP
Capt. Steve Haeusler, left, and Wyatt Ferreira take down the sign for Haeusler's charter fishing boat "First Light" on Monday, Oct. 8, 2018. Boat captains in this fishing community were relocating their vessels to safer locations in advance of Hurricane Michael. (Devon Ravine/Northwest Florida Daily News via AP)
Mark Wallheiser / Getty Images
TALLAHASSEE, FL - OCTOBER 08: Drivers line up for gasoline as Hurricane Michael bears down on the northern Gulf coast of Florida on October 8, 2018 in Tallahassee, Florida. Michael was forecast to become a Category 3 storm with sustained winds of 120 mph when it makes landfall in the Florida panhandle later this week. (Photo by Mark Wallheiser/Getty Images) ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, CM - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD **
Douglas R. Clifford / AP
Cindy Murphy, 58, left, finds a rolling pin while searching for her husband James Murphy's medication on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018, in what remains of their home on a coastal stretch of Port St. Joe, Fla. The couple's dog, J.J., at right, survived, but they have been unable to locate their cat. Cindy was surprised to find the rolling pin, which did not belong to her and was among dozens of items from others homes which were displaced by Hurricane Michael's violent storm surge and wind as it made landfall on Wednesday in the Florida Panhandle. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
Joe Raedle / Getty Images
PANAMA CITY, FL - OCTOBER 11: Amanda Logsdon begins the process of trying to clean up her home after the roof was blown off by the passing winds of hurricane Michael on October 11, 2018 in Panama City, Florida. The hurricane hit the Florida Panhandle as a category 4 storm. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, CM - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD **
David Goldman / AP
Danny, right, and Gina Holland collect water in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael in Parker, Fla., Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. "We're running out of water," said Danny Holland of his neighborhood up the street that was damaged by the storm. "We're going to make do." (AP Photo/David Goldman)
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / AFP/Getty Images
TOPSHOT - Charles Swaney (L) sits in a motel office after Hurricane Michael October 10, 2018 in Panama City, Florida. - Michael slammed into the Florida coast on October 10 as the most powerful storm to hit the southern US state in more than a century as officials warned it could wreak "unimaginable devastation." Michael made landfall as a Category 4 storm near Mexico Beach, a town about 20 miles (32kms) southeast of Panama City, around 1:00 pm Eastern time (1700 GMT), the National Hurricane Center said. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP)BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, CM - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD **
Gerald Herbert / AP
Rescue personnel search amidst debris in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael in Mexico Beach, Fla., Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Douglas R. Clifford / TNS
Emergency workers Dr. Patricia Cantrell, left, and Ana Kaufmann, with the South Florida Search and Rescue Task Force 2, survey damage at the western edge of town at Mexico Beach, population 1,200, which lay devastated on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018 after Hurricane Michael made landfall on Wednesday in the Florida Panhandle. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times/TNS) ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, TCN - OUTS **
Douglas R. Clifford / TNS
The coastal township of Mexico Beach, population 1,200, lay devastated on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018 after Hurricane Michael made landfall on Wednesday in the Florida Panhandle. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times/TNS) ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, TCN - OUTS **
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / AFP/Getty Images
TOPSHOT - Storm damage is seen after Hurricane Michael in Panama City, Florida on October 10, 2018. - Michael slammed into the Florida coast on October 10 as the most powerful storm to hit the southern US state in more than a century as officials warned it could wreak "unimaginable devastation." Michael made landfall as a Category 4 storm near Mexico Beach, a town about 20 miles (32kms) southeast of Panama City, around 1:00 pm Eastern time (1700 GMT), the National Hurricane Center said. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP)BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, CM - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD **
David Goldman / AP
Danny, left, and Gina Holland collect water in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael in Parker, Fla., Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. "We're running out of water," said Danny Holland of his neighborhood up the street that was damaged by the storm. "We're going to make do." (AP Photo/David Goldman)
David Goldman / AP
Michael Williams, 70, waves to passing motorists while looking for food and water as downed trees prevent him from driving out of his damaged home with his family in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael in Springfield, Fla., Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. "I don't know what I'm going to," said Williams. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
Pedro Portal / TNS
Charles Burgess, owner of the Pawaday Inn, after Hurricane Michael made landfall in Florida's Panhandle on Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2018. The Pawaday Inn kennel that was destroyed by the wind. (Pedro Portal/Miami Herald/TNS) ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, TCN - OUTS **
Gerald Herbert / AP
An American flag flies amidst destruction in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael in Mexico Beach, Fla., Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
EMILY KASK / AFP/Getty Images
A car sits in a flooded parking lot outside a hotel in Panama City Beach, Florida, in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael on October 11, 2018. - Residents of the Florida Panhandle woke to scenes of devastation Thursday after Michael tore a path through the coastal region as a powerful hurricane that killed at least two people. (Photo by Emily KASK / AFP)EMILY KASK/AFP/Getty Images ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, CM - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD **
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / AFP/Getty Images
A house is seen covered in a fallen tree and limbs in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael on October 11, 2018 in Panama City, Florida. - Residents of the Florida Panhandle woke to scenes of devastation Thursday after Michael tore a path through the coastal region as a powerful hurricane that killed at least two people. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP)BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, CM - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD **
AP
In this image made from video and provided by SevereStudios.com, damage from Hurricane Michael is seen in Mexico Beach, Fla. on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. Search-and-rescue teams fanned out across the Florida Panhandle to reach trapped people in Michael's wake Thursday as daylight yielded scenes of rows upon rows of houses smashed to pieces by the third-most powerful hurricane on record to hit the continental U.S. (SevereStudios.com via AP)
Mark Wallheiser / Getty Images
SAINT MARKS, FL - OCTOBER 11: Employees at Shields Marina clean up the mud deposited by the storm surge from Hurricane Michael on October 11, 2018 in Saint Marks, Florida. The hurricane hit the Florida Panhandle as a category 4 storm. (Photo by Mark Wallheiser/Getty Images) ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, CM - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD **
Pedro Portal / TNS
Brian Bon inspects damages in the Panama City downtown area after Hurricane Michael made landfall in Florida's Panhandle on Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2018. The dog, Star, was inside the Pawaday Inn kennel that was destroyed by the winds. (Pedro Portal/Miami Herald/TNS) ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, TCN - OUTS **
AP
In this image made from video and provided by SevereStudios.com, damage from Hurricane Michael is seen in Mexico Beach, Fla. on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. Search-and-rescue teams fanned out across the Florida Panhandle to reach trapped people in Michael's wake Thursday as daylight yielded scenes of rows upon rows of houses smashed to pieces by the third-most powerful hurricane on record to hit the continental U.S. (SevereStudios.com via AP)
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / AFP/Getty Images
A storm damaged motel is seen in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael on October 11, 2018 in Panama City, Florida. - Residents of the Florida Panhandle woke to scenes of devastation Thursday after Michael tore a path through the coastal region as a powerful hurricane that killed at least two people. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP)BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, CM - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD **
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / AFP/Getty Images
Boats are seen piled up in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael on October 11, 2018 in Panama City, Florida. - Residents of the Florida Panhandle woke to scenes of devastation Thursday after Michael tore a path through the coastal region as a powerful hurricane that killed at least two people. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP)BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, CM - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD **
Douglas R. Clifford / TNS
The coastal township of Mexico Beach, population 1,200, lay devastated on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018 after Hurricane Michael made landfall on Wednesday in the Florida Panhandle. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times/TNS) ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, TCN - OUTS **
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / AFP/Getty Images
In this aerial view, storm damaged boats are seen in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael on October 11, 2018 in Panama City, Florida. - Residents of the Florida Panhandle woke to scenes of devastation Thursday after Michael tore a path through the coastal region as a powerful hurricane that killed at least two people. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP)BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, CM - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD **
EMILY KASK / AFP/Getty Images
A destroyed storage unit for a hotel in Panama City Beach, Florida, in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael on October 11, 2018. - Residents of the Florida Panhandle woke to scenes of devastation Thursday after Michael tore a path through the coastal region as a powerful hurricane that killed at least two people. (Photo by Emily KASK / AFP)EMILY KASK/AFP/Getty Images ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, CM - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD **
EMILY KASK / AFP/Getty Images
A family hangs clothes to dry outside a downed tree by their house on October 11, 2018 in Panama City, Florida. - Residents of the Florida Panhandle woke to scenes of devastation Thursday after Michael tore a path through the coastal region as a powerful hurricane that killed at least two people. (Photo by Emily KASK / AFP)EMILY KASK/AFP/Getty Images ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, CM - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD **
ASHLEY J. JOHNSON / AFP/Getty Images
TOPSHOT - In this image released by the US Coast Guard (USCG), Coast Guard crew members aboard an HC-130 Hercules airplane fly over damaged homes near Apalachicola, Florida, on October 11, 2018, in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael. - Residents of the Florida Panhandle woke to scenes of devastation Thursday after Michael tore a path through the coastal region as a powerful hurricane that killed at least two people. (Photo by Ashley J. Johnson / AFP)ASHLEY J. JOHNSON/AFP/Getty Images ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, CM - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD **
Gerald Herbert / AP
Resident Tony Feller, who stayed in Mexico Beach, Fla., during Hurricane Michael, sits in a chair amidst the destruction, Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Jabin Botsford / The Washington Post
A car is seen caught in flood water in Panama City, Fla., after Hurricane Michael made landfall along the Florida panhandle on Oct. 10, 2018. MUST CREDIT: Washington Post photo by Jabin Botsford. ** Usable by LA, BS, CT, DP, FL, HC, MC, OS, SD, CGT and CCT **
Chris OMeara / AP
A roof over a boat storage building is collapsed following Hurricane Michael Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018, in Panama City Beach, Fla. Hurricane Michael made landfall Wednesday as a Category 4 hurricane with 155 mph (250 kph) winds and a storm surge of 9 feet (2.7 meters). (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
Gerald Herbert / AP
Joyce Fox, center stands in front of her heavily damaged home in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael in Panama City, Fla., Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Douglas R. Clifford / TNS
From left, Lee Cathey, 37, Al Cathey, 71, and Charles Smith, 56, survey damage in the coastal township of Mexico Beach, population 1,200, which lay devastated on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018 after Hurricane Michael made landfall on Wednesday in the Florida Panhandle. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times/TNS) ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, TCN - OUTS **
EMILY KASK / AFP/Getty Images
A fallen tree is seen in front of a home in Panama City, Florida. - Residents of the Florida Panhandle woke to scenes of devastation Thursday after Michael tore a path through the coastal region as a powerful hurricane that killed at least two people. (Photo by Emily KASK / AFP)EMILY KASK/AFP/Getty Images ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, CM - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD **
Mark Wallheiser / Getty Images
SAINT MARKS, FL - OCTOBER 11: An employee at Cooter Stew bar cleans up the mud deposited by the storm surge from Hurricane Michael on October 11, 2018 in Saint Marks, Florida. The hurricane hit the Florida Panhandle as a category 4 storm. (Photo by Mark Wallheiser/Getty Images) ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, CM - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD **
ASHLEY J. JOHNSON / AFP/Getty Images
In this image released by the US Coast Guard (USCG), Coast Guard crew members aboard an HC-130 Hercules airplane fly over damaged homes near Apalachicola, Florida, on October 11, 2018, in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael. - Residents of the Florida Panhandle woke to scenes of devastation Thursday after Michael tore a path through the coastal region as a powerful hurricane that killed at least two people. (Photo by Ashley J. Johnson / AFP)ASHLEY J. JOHNSON/AFP/Getty Images ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, CM - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD **
Chris OMeara / AP
A home is destroyed from Hurricane Michael Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018, in Mexico Beach, Fla. Hurricane Michael made landfall Wednesday as a Category 4 hurricane with 155 mph (250 kph) winds and a storm surge of 9 feet (2.7 meters). (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
Douglas R. Clifford / AP
The coastal township of Mexico Beach, Fla., lays devastated on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018, after Hurricane Michael made landfall on Wednesday in the Florida Panhandle. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
Gerald Herbert / AP
A boat sits amidst debris in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael in Mexico Beach, Fla., Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Douglas R. Clifford / AP
Debris from homes destroyed by Hurricane Michael litters the coastal township of Mexico Beach, Fla., Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
Joe Raedle / Getty Images
PANAMA CITY, FL - OCTOBER 11: Kristasia Crawford and Tammy Crawford stand in front of their home that is covered with fallen trees and was heavily damaged by the passing winds of Hurricane Michael on October 11, 2018 in Panama City, Florida. The hurricane hit the Florida Panhandle as a category 4 storm. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, CM - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD **
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / AFP/Getty Images
A woman rides a bike in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael on October 11, 2018 in Panama City, Florida. - Residents of the Florida Panhandle woke to scenes of devastation Thursday after Michael tore a path through the coastal region as a powerful hurricane that killed at least two people. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP)BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, CM - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD **
Patti Blake / AP
From left, Haskel Johnson, Daniel Tippett, Jennifer Tippett and Nobuko Johnson fill sand bags at the Lynn Haven Sports Complex in Lynn Haven, Fla., Monday, Oct. 8, 2018, to prepare for Hurricane Michael. (Patti Blake /News Herald via AP)
EMILY KASK / AFP/Getty Images
A truck tries to moves through a fallen power line in Panama City, Florida. - Residents of the Florida Panhandle woke to scenes of devastation Thursday after Michael tore a path through the coastal region as a powerful hurricane that killed at least two people. (Photo by Emily KASK / AFP)EMILY KASK/AFP/Getty Images ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, CM - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD **
Gerald Herbert / AP
A boat sits amidst debris in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael in Mexico Beach, Fla., Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Joe Raedle / Getty Images
PANAMA CITY, FL - OCTOBER 11: (L-R) Comeasha Stanley, Ramari Stanley and Terrell Atkinson stand near a heavily damaged apartment after Hurricane Michael passed through the area on October 11, 2018 in Panama City, Florida. The hurricane hit the Florida Panhandle as a category 4 storm. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, CM - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD **
Chris O'Meara / AP
Krystal Day, of Homosassa, Fla., left, leads a sandbag assembly line at the Old Port Cove restaurant Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2018, in Ozello, Fla. Employees were hoping to protect the restaurant from floodwaters as Hurricane Michael continues to churn in the Gulf of Mexico heading for the Florida panhandle. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
David Goldman / AP
A man walks through a damaged store in the aftermath of hurricane Michael in Springfield, Fla., Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
Gerald Herbert / AP
People hold hands as they walk amidst destruction in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael in Mexico Beach, Fla., Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Patti Blake / AP
Rob Docko ties a knot while securing his boat at the St. Andrews Marina in Panama City, Fla., Monday, Oct. 8, 2018, to prepare for Hurricane Michael. (Patti Blake /News Herald via AP)
Ramon Espinosa / AP
Waves crash against the Malecon, triggered by the outer bands of Hurricane Michael, as tourists drive past in a classic American car in Havana, Cuba, Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2018. A fast and furious Hurricane Michael is churning toward the Florida Panhandle with 110 mph winds and a potential storm surge of 12 feet, giving tens of thousands of people precious little time to get out.
Joe Raedle / Getty Images
Frank Gaetano takes shelter in a parking garage as Hurricane Michael passes through the area on October 10, 2018 in Panama City.
David Goldman / AP
A woman walks through a damaged store in the aftermath of hurricane Michael in Springfield, Fla., Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / AFP/Getty Images
In this aerial view, storm damaged boats are seen in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael on October 11, 2018 in Panama City, Florida. - Residents of the Florida Panhandle woke to scenes of devastation Thursday after Michael tore a path through the coastal region as a powerful hurricane that killed at least two people. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP)BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, CM - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD **
Gerald Herbert / AP
Hotel employees look at a canopy that just collapsed, as Hurricane Michael passes through in Panama City Beach, Fla., Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2018.
Jabin Botsford / The Washington Post
Jason Phipps looks through his families roofless apartment in Panama City, Fla., after Hurricane Michael made landfall along the Florida panhandle on Oct. 10, 2018. MUST CREDIT: Washington Post photo by Jabin Botsford. ** Usable by LA, BS, CT, DP, FL, HC, MC, OS, SD, CGT and CCT **
Douglas R. Clifford / TNS
From left, Al Cathey, 71, Lee Cathey, 37, and Charles Smith, 56, survey damage in the coastal township of Mexico Beach, population 1,200, which lay devastated on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018 after Hurricane Michael made landfall on Wednesday in the Florida Panhandle. Lee had found his shotgun in the middle of US 98, which was displaced from his hardware store in the storm. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times/TNS) ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, TCN - OUTS **
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / AFP/Getty Images
TOPSHOT - Damaged boats and a truck are seen in a marina after Hurricane Michael October 10, 2018 in Panama City, Florida. - Michael slammed into the Florida coast on October 10 as the most powerful storm to hit the southern US state in more than a century as officials warned it could wreak "unimaginable devastation." Michael made landfall as a Category 4 storm near Mexico Beach, a town about 20 miles (32kms) southeast of Panama City, around 1:00 pm Eastern time (1700 GMT), the National Hurricane Center said. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP)BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, CM - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD **
Chris OMeara / AP
An electric transformer explodes in the distance as heavy rains and wind from Hurricane Michael blanket the Florida State University campus Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2018, in Tallahassee, Fla.
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / AFP/Getty Images
A man clears the street of fallen tree limbs in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael on October 11, 2018 in Panama City, Florida. - Residents of the Florida Panhandle woke to scenes of devastation Thursday after Michael tore a path through the coastal region as a powerful hurricane that killed at least two people. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP)BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, CM - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD **
AP
In this image made from video and provided by SevereStudios.com, damage from Hurricane Michael is seen in Mexico Beach, Fla. on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. Search-and-rescue teams fanned out across the Florida Panhandle to reach trapped people in Michael's wake Thursday as daylight yielded scenes of rows upon rows of houses smashed to pieces by the third-most powerful hurricane on record to hit the continental U.S. (SevereStudios.com via AP)
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / AFP/Getty Images
A view of a hotel room with a collapsed wall in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael on October 11, 2018 in Panama City, Florida. - Residents of the Florida Panhandle woke to scenes of devastation Thursday after Michael tore a path through the coastal region as a powerful hurricane that killed at least two people. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP)BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, CM - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD **
Gerald Herbert / AP
Mishelle McPherson looks for her friend in the rubble of her home, since she knows she stayed behind in the home during Hurricane Michael, in Mexico Beach, Fla., Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Gerald Herbert / AP
Firefighter Austin Schlarb performs a door to door search in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael in Mexico Beach, Fla., Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Gerald Herbert / AP
An American flag flies amidst destruction in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael in Mexico Beach, Fla., Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / AFP/Getty Images
A man walks past storm damage in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael on October 11, 2018 in Panama City, Florida. - Residents of the Florida Panhandle woke to scenes of devastation Thursday after Michael tore a path through the coastal region as a powerful hurricane that killed at least two people. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP)BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, CM - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD **
Joe Raedle / Getty Images
Derik Kline takes shelter in a parking garage as Hurricane Michael passes through the area on October 10, 2018 in Panama City. The hurricane made landfall in Florida's Panhandle as a Category 4 storm.
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / AFP/Getty Images
TOPSHOT - A woman and her children wain near a destroyed gas station after Hurricane Michael in Panama City, Florida on October 10, 2018. - Michael slammed into the Florida coast on October 10 as the most powerful storm to hit the southern US state in more than a century as officials warned it could wreak "unimaginable devastation." Michael made landfall as a Category 4 storm near Mexico Beach, a town about 20 miles (32kms) southeast of Panama City, around 1:00 pm Eastern time (1700 GMT), the National Hurricane Center said. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP)BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, CM - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD **
Devon Ravine / AP
Commercial boats leave the Destin Harbor in Destin, Fla., on Monday, Oct. 8, 2018. Residents of this Florida panhandle city were busy Monday readying themselves for Hurricane Michael, which is predicted to make landfall somewhere around Panama City, Fla. (Devon Ravine/Northwest Florida Daily News via AP)
Gary Fineout / AP
Tallahassee Mayor and Democratic gubernatorial candidate, Andrew Gillum, left, helps Eboni Sipling fill up sandbags in Tallahassee, Fla., Monday, Oct. 8, 2018. Residents in Florida's Panhandle and Big Bend are getting ready for Hurricane Michael, which is expected to make landfall by midweek. (AP Photo/Gary Fineout)
Douglas R. Clifford / TNS
Cindy Murphy, 58, left, finds a rolling pin while searching for her husband James Murphy's, 65, medication on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018 in what remains of their home on a coastal stretch of Port St. Joe, Fla., The couple's dog, J.J., at right, survived, but they have been unable to locate their cat. Cindy was surprised to find the rolling pin, which did not belong to her and was among dozens of items from others homes which were displaced by Hurricane Michael's violent storm surge and wind as it made landfall on Wednesday in the Florida Panhandle. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times/TNS) ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, TCN - OUTS **
Douglas R. Clifford / TNS
The coastal township of Mexico Beach, population 1,200, lay devastated on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018 after Hurricane Michael made landfall on Wednesday in the Florida Panhandle. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times/TNS) ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, TCN - OUTS **
Douglas R. Clifford / TNS
The coastal township of Mexico Beach, population 1,200, lay devastated on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018 after Hurricane Michael made landfall on Wednesday in the Florida Panhandle. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times/TNS) ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, TCN - OUTS **
AP
In this image made from video and provided by SevereStudios.com, damage from Hurricane Michael is seen in Mexico Beach, Fla. on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. Search-and-rescue teams fanned out across the Florida Panhandle to reach trapped people in Michael's wake Thursday as daylight yielded scenes of rows upon rows of houses smashed to pieces by the third-most powerful hurricane on record to hit the continental U.S. (SevereStudios.com via AP)
Douglas R. Clifford / AP
Debris scatters an area in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael in Mexico Beach, Fla., early Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
Douglas R. Clifford / AP
The coastal township of Mexico Beach, Fla., lays devastated on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018, after Hurricane Michael made landfall on Wednesday in the Florida Panhandle. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
David Goldman / AP
Kylie Strampe holds her four-month-old daughter, Lola, while surveying the damage from Hurricane Michael after riding out the storm in Callaway, Fla., Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
Mark Wallheiser / Getty Images
SAINT MARKS, FL - OCTOBER 11: Boats deposited by the storm surge from Hurricane Michael at the Shields Marina on October 11, 2018 in Saint Marks, Florida. The hurricane hit the Florida Panhandle as a category 4 storm. (Photo by Mark Wallheiser/Getty Images) ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, CM - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD **
Douglas R. Clifford / TNS
The restroom in the home of Cindy an James Murphy, in Port St. Joe, Fla., is plastered with the remnants of a violent tidal surge on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018, which damaged most of the homes on the town's coast and decimated a majority of coastal structures in adjacent Mexico Beach after Hurricane Michael made landfall on Wednesday in the Florida Panhandle. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times/TNS) ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, TCN - OUTS **
Devon Ravine / AP
Aaron Smith carries a couple hundred feet of anchor rope as prepares to move his charter fishing boat "Sea Fix" from the Destin Harbor in Destin, Fla., on Monday, Oct. 8, 2018. Boat captains in this fishing community were relocating their vessels to safer locations in advance of Hurricane Michael. (Devon Ravine/Northwest Florida Daily News via AP)
Joe Raedle / Getty Images
Debris is blown down a street by Hurricane Michael on October 10, 2018 in Panama City.
Chris OMeara / AP
Homes are left swept off their foundations from the effects of Hurricane Michael, Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018, in Mexico Beach, Fla. Michael made landfall Wednesday as a Category 4 hurricane with 155 mph (250 kph) winds and a storm surge of 9 feet (2.7 meters). (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
Chris OMeara / AP
Homes washed away by Hurricane Michael are shown in this aerial photo Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018, in Mexico Beach, Fla. Michael made landfall Wednesday as a Category 4 hurricane with 155 mph (250 kph) winds and a storm surge of 9 feet (2.7 meters). (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
EMILY KASK / AFP/Getty Images
A boarded up tourist shop in Panama City Beach, Florida in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael on October 11, 2018. - Residents of the Florida Panhandle woke to scenes of devastation Thursday after Michael tore a path through the coastal region as a powerful hurricane that killed at least two people. (Photo by Emily KASK / AFP)EMILY KASK/AFP/Getty Images ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, CM - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD **
Mark Wallheiser / Getty Images
TALLAHASSEE, FL - OCTOBER 08: Drivers line up for gasoline as Hurricane Michael bears down on the northern Gulf coast of Florida on October 8, 2018 in Tallahassee, Florida. Michael was forecast to become a Category 3 storm with sustained winds of 120 mph when it makes landfall in the Florida panhandle later this week. (Photo by Mark Wallheiser/Getty Images) ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, CM - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD **
Mark Wallheiser / Getty Images
TALLAHASSEE, FL - OCTOBER 08: People line up for gasoline as Hurricane Michael bears down on the northern Gulf coast of Florida on October 8, 2018 outside Tallahassee, Florida. Michael was forecast to become a Category 3 storm with sustained winds of 120 mph when it makes landfall in the Florida panhandle later this week. (Photo by Mark Wallheiser/Getty Images) ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, CM - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD **
Patti Blake / AP
Bobby Smith boards up the windows at Jani's Ceramics in Panama City, Fla., on Monday, Oct. 8, 2018, in preparation for the arrival of Hurricane Michael. (Patti Blake/News Herald via AP)
Sean Rayford / Getty Images
COLUMBIA, SC - OCTOBER 11: Hector Benthall, right, greets his neighbor Keito Jordan after remnants of Hurricane Michael sent a tree crashing into Benthall's home on October 11, 2018 in Columbia, South Carolina. Jordan was the first responder to the accident that sent at least one person to the hospital. (Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images) ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, CM - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD **
Joe Cavaretta / Sun Sentinel
An FPL lineman waits for the signal to leave, Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018, at the Florida Turnpike Plaza in Pompano Beach. Eight trucks from Broward and Dade Counties left for the Hurricane Michael disaster zone. (Joe Cavaretta / South Florida Sun Sentinel)
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / AFP/Getty Images
TOPSHOT - Storm damage is seen after Hurricane Michael in Panama City, Florida on October 10, 2018. - Michael slammed into the Florida coast on October 10 as the most powerful storm to hit the southern US state in more than a century as officials warned it could wreak "unimaginable devastation." Michael made landfall as a Category 4 storm near Mexico Beach, a town about 20 miles (32kms) southeast of Panama City, around 1:00 pm Eastern time (1700 GMT), the National Hurricane Center said. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP)BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, CM - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD **
Joe Raedle / Getty Images
PANAMA CITY, FL - OCTOBER 11: Debris is strewn next to a mobile home destroyed by Hurricane Michael on October 11, 2018 in Panama City, Florida. The hurricane hit the Florida Panhandle as a category 4 storm. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, CM - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD **
Douglas R. Clifford / TNS
The coastal township of Mexico Beach, population 1,200, lay devastated on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018 after Hurricane Michael made landfall on Wednesday in the Florida Panhandle. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times/TNS) ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, TCN - OUTS **
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / AFP/Getty Images
People clean fallen tree limbs from their home in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael on October 11, 2018 in Panama City, Florida. - Residents of the Florida Panhandle woke to scenes of devastation Thursday after Michael tore a path through the coastal region as a powerful hurricane that killed at least two people. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP)BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, CM - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD **
HO / AFP/Getty Images
This NOAA/RAMMB satellite image taken on October 8, 2018 at 16:45 UTC shows Hurricane Michael off the US Gulf Coast. - Tropical storm Michael strengthened to a Category 1 hurricane October 8, 2018 as it barreled toward the US Gulf Coast packing maximum sustained winds of 75 miles per hour, meteorologists said. The weather system was located between Mexico's Yucatan peninsula and the west coast of Cuba by 1500 GMT and was heading slowly towards the northern Gulf Coast of Florida, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami said. (Photo by HO / NOAA/RAMMB / AFP)
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / AFP/Getty Images
TOPSHOT - An American flag is seen after Hurricane Michael in Panama City, Florida on October 10, 2018. - Michael slammed into the Florida coast on October 10 as the most powerful storm to hit the southern US state in more than a century as officials warned it could wreak "unimaginable devastation." Michael made landfall as a Category 4 storm near Mexico Beach, a town about 20 miles (32kms) southeast of Panama City, around 1:00 pm Eastern time (1700 GMT), the National Hurricane Center said. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP)BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, CM - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD **
AP
In this image made from video and provided by SevereStudios.com, damage from Hurricane Michael is seen in Mexico Beach, Fla. on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. Search-and-rescue teams fanned out across the Florida Panhandle to reach trapped people in Michael's wake Thursday as daylight yielded scenes of rows upon rows of houses smashed to pieces by the third-most powerful hurricane on record to hit the continental U.S. (SevereStudios.com via AP)
EMILY KASK / AFP/Getty Images
The overhang of a gas station is toppled over in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael on October 11, 2018 in Inlet Beach, Florida. - Residents of the Florida Panhandle woke to scenes of devastation Thursday after Michael tore a path through the coastal region as a powerful hurricane that killed at least two people. (Photo by Emily KASK / AFP)EMILY KASK/AFP/Getty Images ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, CM - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD **
John Spink / AP
A vehicle sits under a fallen tree where an occupant was trapped due to tropical storm winds brought by Hurricane Michael, Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018, in Atlanta. Firefighters rescued the woman and she was transported to a hospital. (John Spink/The Atlanta Journal and Constitution via AP)
AP
In this image made from video and provided by SevereStudios.com, damage from Hurricane Michael is seen in Mexico Beach, Fla. on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. Search-and-rescue teams fanned out across the Florida Panhandle to reach trapped people in Michael's wake Thursday as daylight yielded scenes of rows upon rows of houses smashed to pieces by the third-most powerful hurricane on record to hit the continental U.S. (SevereStudios.com via AP)
Gerald Herbert / AP
A storm chaser climbs into his vehicle during the eye of Hurricane Michael to retrieve equipment after a hotel canopy collapsed in Panama City Beach, Fla., Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2018.
Gerald Herbert / AP
People walk amidst destruction on the main street of Mexico Beach, Fla., in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / AFP/Getty Images
In this aerial view, a storm damaged church is seen in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael on October 11, 2018 in Panama City, Florida. - Residents of the Florida Panhandle woke to scenes of devastation Thursday after Michael tore a path through the coastal region as a powerful hurricane that killed at least two people. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP)BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, CM - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD **
Douglas R. Clifford / TNS
Vegetation lay scattered on the beach of the coastal township of Mexico Beach, population 1,200, on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018 after Hurricane Michael made landfall on Wednesday in the Florida Panhandle. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times/TNS) ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, TCN - OUTS **
Gerald Herbert / AP
Mishelle McPherson, climbs over the rubble of the home of her friend as she searches for her, since she knows she stayed behind in the home during Hurricane Michael, in Mexico Beach, Fla., Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Joe Raedle / Getty Images
PANAMA CITY, FL - OCTOBER 11: People walk past a home destroyed by Hurricane Michael on October 11, 2018 in Panama City, Florida. The hurricane hit the Florida Panhandle as a category 4 storm. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, CM - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD **
Joe Raedle / Getty Images
Scott Brazer and his dog Franklin take shelter in a parking garage as Hurricane Michael passes through the area on October 10, 2018 in Panama City. The hurricane made landfall as a Category 4 storm.
Gerald Herbert / AP
Rescue personnel perform a search in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael in Mexico Beach, Fla., Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Douglas R. Clifford / AP
Tampa Bay Times Emergency workers form a caravan at the western edge of town at Mexico Beach, population 1200, where they planned to join the South Florida Search and Rescue Task Force to clear home and to make contact with survivors in the township which lay devastated on Thursday, Oct 11, 2018, after Hurricane Michael made landfall on Wednesday in the Florida Panhandle. Brock said he stayed in the city to ride out the storm. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
Luke Sharrett / Bloomberg
Palm trees are buffeted by the wind as Hurricane Michael makes landfall in Panama City Beach, Florida, on Oct. 10, 2018. MUST CREDIT: Bloomberg photo by Luke Sharrett. ** Usable by LA, BS, CT, DP, FL, HC, MC, OS, SD, CGT and CCT **
Douglas R. Clifford / TNS
The coastal township of Mexico Beach, population 1,200, lay devastated on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018 after Hurricane Michael made landfall on Wednesday in the Florida Panhandle. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times/TNS) ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, TCN - OUTS **

By David Fleshler | dfleshler@sunsentinel.com | Sun Sentinel

PUBLISHED: October 12, 2018 at 9:05 a.m. | UPDATED: December 12, 2018 at 11:17 a.m.

As Hurricane Michael drew strength from the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, it stunned experts with its abrupt transformation from garden-variety October storm to history-making monster.

At the National Hurricane Center, as the storm’s growing power was becoming clear, one forecaster wrote that its rapid intensification in the face of unfavorable high-altitude winds “defies traditional logic.”

“You could tell they were flummoxed,” Phil Klotzbach, research scientist in the Department of Atmospheric Science at Colorado State University, said Thursday. “This shouldn’t be happening, but it is.”

The storm’s sudden intensification to near-Category 5 power, with winds of 155 mph when it slammed into Mexico Beach, underlined the continued lag in forecasters’ ability to predict a storm’s strength, even as they display growing virtuosity in saying where it will make landfall.

In the case of Michael, the storm appeared to be heading into a hurricane-snuffing environment of strong wind shear, the differences in wind speed and direction that can disrupt a hurricane’s rotating, cone-shaped structure. But these winds appeared to fade sooner than expected, and the hurricane found itself in a highly favorable environment, with a moist atmosphere and above-average water temperatures. Generally warm to begin with, the water of the Gulf of Mexico had a temperature of two or three degrees higher than normal.

“Once that shear weakened, the rest of the conditions were already present,” said Corene J. Matyas, a hurricane expert and associate professor in the Department of Geography at the University of Florida. “It had all the energy it needed, so once those winds relaxed, it was able to use that energy to the fullest.”

The National Hurricane Center defines rapid intensification as a gain of at least 30 knots — or about 35 mph — in wind speed over a 24-hour period.

Such sudden gains in power aren’t uncommon. Hurricane Patricia, which struck Mexico’s Pacific coast on Oct. 23, 2015, strengthened from tropical storm to Category 5 hurricane in 24 hours. In August 2004, Hurricane Charley strengthened from 110 mph to 150 mph in just a few hours before striking Florida’s Gulf coast south of Sarasota.

Although Floridians remember Hurricane Wilma for raking the state from west to east in October 2005, it’s famous among meteorologists for its explosive gain of strength over the western Caribbean, shooting from tropical storm to strong Category 5 hurricane, with 185 mph winds, in two days.

Hurricane Michael underwent three periods of rapid intensification, said Haiyan Jiang, associate professor of meteorology at Florida International University. Beginning Sunday, it strengthened from tropical depression to Category 1 hurricane, gained power and, within one 24-hour period, increased its maximum wind speed from 74 mph, or a minimal Category 1 hurricane, to 155 mph, a strong Category 4.

Forecasters today predict a storm’s path with an accuracy that would have dazzled their colleagues of a generation ago, having narrowed and lengthened the famous “cone of uncertainty” to reflect their ability to forecast a storm’s track five days in advance.

But intensity forecasting, while improved, hasn’t shown the same gains. While forecasting a storm’s path requires broad information on large-scale factors around a storm, such as winds and air pressure, forecasts of intensity require detailed, specific data from the most violent part of a hurricane’s interior, not the easiest place to do science.

“We try to fly through the storms as much as we can,” said Matyas, of the University of Florida. “They make passes and they drop instruments, but sometimes you don’t drop it where the strongest winds are going to go. You have to hunt around to find the exact spots where the strongest winds are blowing, and then drop your instruments in, remembering that you’re dropping it from let’s say 10,000 feet, it’s going to get blown sideways as it drops toward the ground. So it’s very, very difficult to measure.”

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How did Hurricane Michael get so powerful so…

How did Hurricane Michael get so powerful so quickly? It ‘defies traditional logic,’ experts say.

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