Destructive Hurricane Michael slams into U.S. Florida

Destructive Category 4 Hurricane Michael made landfall near Mexico Beach in southeastern U.S. state of Florida on Wednesday. 

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. [Photo: AP]

With maximum-sustained winds of 155 miles per hour (250 km per hour), just shy of a Category 5 storm, Michael is thought to be the most powerful storm on record to hit Florida's Panhandle, a stretch rimmed with tourist beaches and fishing villages. 

The hurricane could push up to 14 feet of ocean water onto the coast while drenching many areas across southeastern United States with torrential rains, meteorologists said.