Tropical storm Michael could hit the Gulf Coast in Florida after the Category 2 cyclone in the middle of the week

ORLANDO, Florida – A tropical storm that quickly formed off the Mexican Yucatan Peninsula grew in strength and could become a Category 2 hurricane with a midweek strike on the Gulf Coast above the panhandle of Florida, according to forecasters.

Florida Governor Rick Scott has declared emergency status for 26 districts to quickly prepare for the Florida Panhandle and Big Bend areas, freeing up resources and activating 500 members of the Guard of Florida.

"This storm will be life threatening and extremely dangerous," said Scott after a meeting at the state 's Emergency Operations Center. He warned that a storm surge could affect areas of Florida that are not directly on the path of the storm.

Michael emerged on Sunday in the form of a tropical storm with winds of up to 50 mph. But in a few hours, it gained in power and its main sustained winds reached 60 km / h in the late evening Sunday.

The storm is expected to turn into a hurricane Monday night or Tuesday, its center crossing the Yucatan Canal, then crossing the Gulf of Mexico, approaching Wednesday the Florida Panhandle Coast.

The storm was located Monday at about 2:00 am EDT about 105 miles east-southeast of Cozumel, Mexico, and was moving north at about 4 mph. Winds from the tropical storm extended 170 miles, mostly northeast and southeast of the storm center.

Forecasters have advised residents of the northeastern and central Gulf Coast to monitor the progress of the storm.

The capital of Florida, Tallahassee, opened Sunday two places where people could get sandbags to prepare for a possible flood.

The mayor of Tallahassee, Andrew Gillum, who is the Democratic nominee for the governorship, planned to campaign in South Florida on Monday and Tuesday, but announced that he would return to Tallahassee to take part in the preparations for the storm. .

WCTV, affiliated with CBS Tallahassee, said: "Big Bend and South Georgia should prepare for tropical storm winds by Wednesday.Winds above 40 mph would be enough to knock down trees, power lines and Power outages, heavy rain, and sudden floods are also possible.The possibility of hurricane force winds will be higher along the immediate coast and closer to Michael's center around the landing. "

The city of Pensacola tweeted to residents: "Make sure your emergency plan is in place."

A tropical storm warning was in effect in the Cuban provinces of Pinar del Rio and the Isle of Youth, as well as on the Mexican coast from Tulum to Cabo Catoche. A warning indicates that tropical storm conditions are expected, in this case, within 24 hours.

The hurricane center warned that the storm could produce a foot of rain in western Cuba, potentially causing sudden floods and landslides in mountainous areas.

Michael is the 13th storm of the 2018 hurricane season, according to hurricane center spokesman Dennis Feltgen.