Current projected track of Hurricane Michael
Update Tuesday, Oct. 9 12:33 p.m.
All Escambia Co. (Ala), Escambia Co. (Fla) and Santa Rosa Co. schools will be closed tomorrow, Wednesday Oct. 10.
Escambia County (Ala.) Emergency Director David Adams is encouraging area residents to keep an eye on Hurricane Michael, which is expected to make landfall along the Florida panhandle Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning.
Adams told members of the Escambia County Commission Monday morning that current projections have the storm going more east and possibly make landfall near Panama City. He said if that current path remains Escambia County, Ala., and areas such as Jay and Century should not see a major impact.
However, he said if the storm shifts to the west the impact will increase with the National Weather Service saying Michael could be a category 3 hurricane before it makes landfall.
"We're in pretty good shape here," Adams to the commission. "But it won't take much of a shift to the west for it to get worse. We need to keep an eye on it."
Current estimates are the storm could dump about 2 inches of rain on the area.
Adams said the storm is moving at about 6 mph which will allow it to gain more strength as it nears the panhandle. He said the most significant impact to the area may be heavy traffic if coastal areas are evacuated, sending motorists west.
Adams said he has another conference call with the National Weather Service later Monday afternoon and he will pass that information along. In the mean time, he said residents need to stay tuned to news outlets to get the most up-to-date information.
