Weather

Florida Gov. Declares State Of Emergency Ahead Of Hurricane

Tropical Storm Michael changed into a Category 1 hurricane Monday morning.

Florida Gov. Declares State Of Emergency Ahead Of Hurricane
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Tropical Storm Michael is now a hurricane. 

The National Hurricane Center reported the Category 1 storm's maximum sustained winds were measuring around 75 miles per hour Monday morning. Over the weekend, Michael reportedly dumped heavy rains on parts of Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador and Costa Rica.

The storm is moving north and is predicted to make landfall in the Florida panhandle or the Big Bend region on Wednesday. Forecasters say Michael will then pass over some parts of the U.S. East Coast that are still recovering from Hurricane Florence. 

In preparation, Florida Gov. Rick Scott's already declared a state of emergency in more than two dozen counties. He also activated 500 members of Florida's National Guard.

A spokesman for Scott, who's currently running for U.S. Senate, said he's going to not campaign for the "next few days" to focus on storm preparations. Other political candidates in the state are similarly adjusting their campaign schedules around the storm. 

Additional reporting from Newsy affiliate CNN.