Hurricane Michael has made landfall in Florida bringing with it "life threatening storm surges" and "catastrophic winds."
Thousands of residents were ordered to leave the US state as the Category 4 bore down on the coast with wind speeds of up to 250kph.
The storm has already killed at least 13 people on its way up through Central America.
Florida governor Rick Scott described Michael as a "monstrous hurricane" and declared a state of emergency in 35 counties.
He said the region must be "prepared for a direct hit with sustained hurricane force winds."
Station cameras viewed Hurricane Michael at 12:58pm ET Oct. 10 after the storm made landfall as a category 4 storm over the Florida panhandle. The @NHC_Atlantic reported maximum sustained winds near 145 mph with the potential to bring dangerous storm surge and heavy rains. pic.twitter.com/7iupKJ00RW
— Intl. Space Station (@Space_Station) October 10, 2018
Preparations
Some 1,250 National Guard soldiers were helping residents in coastal areas to find safety, and another 4,000 are on standby, Mr Scott said.
Hours after the hurricane made landfall, the US National Hurricane Centre said it was hitting sustained wind speeds of 220kph with flooding reaching seven foot above sea level in some areas.
We are with you Florida! https://t.co/qzrVLeFbyFhttps://t.co/HVVhSmBg7S pic.twitter.com/rcB6OCwLeH
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 10, 2018
Many schools, businesses and government buildings were closed ahead of the storm’s arrival and energy companies have halted nearly a fifth of the oil production on the Gulf of Mexico, a part of the US which is responsible for 17% of daily US crude oil output.
Lines formed at petrol stations and people had been stocking up on emergency food supplies.
#HurricaneMichael continues to move inland and remains a major hurricane. An extreme wind warning is in effect for portions of the Ern FL Panhandle & extreme SW GA for winds >115 MPH valid until 345 PM CT. If you are in the EWW, TAKE SHELTER NOW!!! pic.twitter.com/Mhx4LNoJCr
— NWS Tallahassee (@NWSTallahassee) October 10, 2018
Path of the storm
Neighbouring Alabama is also expecting strong winds, heavy rain and power cuts as a result of the hurricane.
Michael is moving north and, after hitting Florida, it is expected to move up the east coast on Wednesday and Thursday, into North and South Carolina.
