Tropical Storm Michael Updates: Location, Forecast, Impacts in Carolinas, Virginia

After ripping through Florida and causing extensive damage there, Hurricane Michael has been downgraded to a tropical storm and was making its way through Georgia and the Carolinas Thursday morning.

The key messages from the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said expected heavy rainfall could cause "life-threatening flash flooding" in certain areas of Georgia, the Carolinas and southeastern Virginia.

Michael had lost a significant amount of its strength since it made landfall near Mexico Beach, Florida, Wednesday afternoon. Though it was at one point a Category 4 major hurricane, by Thursday it was a tropical storm, with maximum sustained wind speeds of 50 miles per hour.

thursday michael path
The expected path of the remnants of Hurricane Michael, which had become a tropical storm by Thursday. National Hurricane Center

At 8 a.m. EDT Thursday, the storm was in South Carolina after passing through Georgia overnight. The tropical storm was traveling northeast at 21 miles per hour, according to the NHC. Tropical storm warnings were issued for North and South Carolina, and the storm was set to travel up through both states and part of Virginia before heading out to the Atlantic.

The storm is expected to clear the United States and be out to sea by 2 a.m. Friday. From there it will continue northeast across the ocean, and the remnants of the storm will likely cross the Atlantic by 2 a.m. EDT Monday.

There was still a storm surge watch for the Outer Banks on North Carolina, the NHC reported. In parts of Florida, the surge caused by the storm destroyed homes and structures and completely inundated the shoreline, with over a foot of water in some areas.

Flash flooding was a significant risk as the storm continued out to sea. In parts of North Carolina and Virginia, there was a high risk of flash flooding, meaning there was a 50 percent chance of it happening in some spots where there was excessive rainfall.

flash flood risk michael
The flash flooding risk associated with Tropical Storm Michael on Thursday. National Hurricane Center

Hurricane season ends November 1, but that doesn't mean there can't be any storms outside of the season. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted the season, which runs from June 1 to November 1, would see an average, or slightly below average, number of storms. The season has since surpassed the estimated 10 to 13 named storms. Michael is the 13th storm of the season, and Tropical Storm Nadine, which was in the Atlantic Thursday, is No. 14.

Uncommon Knowledge

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

About the writer


Nina was a breaking news reporter. She previously worked at Business Insider, The Boston Globe, and Boston.com.

To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.

Newsweek cover
  • Newsweek magazine delivered to your door
  • Newsweek Voices: Diverse audio opinions
  • Enjoy ad-free browsing on Newsweek.com
  • Comment on articles
  • Newsweek app updates on-the-go
Newsweek cover
  • Newsweek Voices: Diverse audio opinions
  • Enjoy ad-free browsing on Newsweek.com
  • Comment on articles
  • Newsweek app updates on-the-go