Good morning! Today’s Rundown will be short with focus on Tropical Storm Michael.
Tropical Storm Michael has become better organized this morning and has rapidly intensified during the past 24 hours. With the increase in the initial wind speeds, the official intensity forecast is higher than in the previous forecast. According to the National Hurricane Center, very warm sea surface temperatures are expected to support continued strengthening.
As of 4am this morning, this new official forecast brings the intensity to just below major hurricane strength in 48 hours, and since the storm will still be over water for a time between 48 and 72 hours, there is a real possibility that Michael will strengthen to a major hurricane before landfall. The NHC is expecting Michael to make landfall between the Southwest Alabama coast to the Big Bend of Florida on Wednesday.
Weakening is expected after landfall, but the system will likely maintain tropical storm strength after day 4 when it moves off the east coast of the United States. Michael should then become an extratropical low by day 5.
Legendary Marine closes in FWB
According to a new report from the Northwest Florida Daily News, Legendary Marine in Fort Walton Walton has closed due to an increase in rent from new owner. The report states that new property owner Jayme Nabors tried to “raise the rent from $5,000 or $6,000 a month to about $20,000.”
Legendary shut the location down and do not have plans to open another marine in Fort Walton.
Nabors has been in the spotlight a lot recently with his company BLN LLC buying up property in Downtown Fort Walton Beach. Nabors tells the Northwest Florida Daily News that “there is plenty of opportunity for improvement”. To read more on this story, click here.
Second federal lawsuit filed against Okaloosa School Board
Just when you think that the Okaloosa School Board’s situation couldn’t get any worse, a second federal lawsuit has been filed. According to the Northwest Florida Daily News, the new lawsuit claims the Okaloosa County School Board, Superintendent Mary Beth Jackson and others tolerated “a historical pattern and practice” of abuse of disabled students and took action to avoid its detection.
The new lawsuit states that a 12-year-old, non-verbal autistic child who attended Silver Sands School in 2014 was punched “so hard in his chest that it echoed across the hallway.” To read more on the new lawsuit, click here.
That’s all we have for you this morning. Keep monitoring the progress of Tropical Storm Michael so that you are prepared for it making landfall in our area. We will post regularly on our Facebook page as they become available. See ya tomorrow!