Hurricane Michael crosses into Georgia
Hurricane Michael has crossed into Georgia after making landfall along the Florida Panhandle as a Category 4 storm yesterday.
Mexico Beach, Florida, took the brunt of the hit, with wind gusts of over 100 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.
AccuWeather vice president of forecasting and graphics operations Marshall Moss said: "A Category 4 hurricane has never struck that part of Florida. The coastline will be changed for decades."
More than 600,000 were without power across the region on Wednesday night and officials warn that some areas could be without power for days.
Yesterday, Florida Governor Rick Scott had warned: "This is the worst storm that our Florida Panhandle has seen in a century. Hurricane Michael is upon us, and now is the time to seek refuge."
The National Hurricane Center described the storm as a ‘worst-case scenario’ for the region. Michael is the first Category 4 hurricane to hit the area.
Michael is moving into Georgia, with winds as high as 70 mph. Winds have gusted to 40 mph in areas as far north as Atlanta, despite being nearly 90 miles away from the center of the storm.
A tornado watch has been issued for much of South Carolina and will remain in effect until 7am EDT Thursday.
Meanwhile, American Airlines says it took a $50 million hit from the disruption wrought by Hurricane Florence, which forced it to cancel more than 2,000 flights.
That caused an expected revenue drop of $55 million which was slightly offset by $5 million cost savings due to operating fewer flights.
Delta Air Lines recently said it saw revenues fall by $30 million due to the storm.
Lisa
Lisa joined Travel Weekly nearly 25 years ago as technology reporter and then sailed around the world for a couple of years as cruise correspondent, before becoming deputy editor. Now freelance, Lisa writes for various print and web publications, edits Corporate Traveller’s client magazine, Gateway, and works on the acclaimed Remembering Wildlife series of photography books, which raise awareness of nature’s most at-risk species and helps to fund their protection.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Cyclone in Sri Lanka had limited effect on tourism in contrary to media reports
Skyscanner reveals major travel trends 2026 at ITB Asia
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists
In Italy, the Meloni government congratulates itself for its tourism achievements