The National Hurricane Center on Tuesday warned that Michael could bring a \u201clife-threatening storm surge,\u201d hurricane-force winds, and heavy rainfall along the coast. The center said the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Air Force Reserve hurricane hunter aircraft had recorded maximum sustained winds of nearly 110 miles per hour, with some gusts topping that speed. That puts Michael on the cusp of Category 3 status, which requires sustained winds of at least 111 miles per hour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eglin Air Force Base said on Facebook that it expects sustained winds of 58 miles per hour to hit around 3 a.m. Wednesday morning, at which point it will close its gates and cease all outside operations. The 96th Test Wing commander will decide on Wednesday when the base will return to normal operations, and reporting times for personnel will be posted online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
MacDill Air Force Base near Tampa said on its Facebook page that it does not expect the storm to greatly affect the base, aside from a slight storm surge Wednesday morning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Defense Department posted images online of aircraft such as T-38s from Tyndall Air Force Base, and F-15s from Eglin, evacuating to bases such as Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio. Eglin also evacuated F-35 fighters to Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Original story:<\/b><\/i> Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida on Monday ordered a mandatory evacuation of personnel, as Hurricane Michael continued gathering strength and heading toward the state\u2019s panhandle region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tyndall and Hurlburt Field also announced Monday that they will evacuate its aircraft to avoid the storm, as bases in the area watched the storm develop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tyndall, near Panama City, first ordered a mandatory evacuation of all civilian and non-mission essential military personnel, effective at 5 p.m. Monday, and later broadened the evacuation order to include all Tyndall-assigned personnel, including those in base housing. All personnel must be evacuated by 3 p.m. Tuesday, the base said in a release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The National Hurricane Center on Monday said Tropical Storm Michael had reached hurricane<\/a> status and is approaching the Gulf Coast. It is expected to become a \u201cmajor hurricane\u201d<\/a> \u2014 or Category 3, which has sustained winds of at least 111 miles per hour \u2014 by Tuesday evening, according to the center. Michael is expected to make landfall over the panhandle or Big Bend areas of Florida on Wednesday, before moving northeast across the southeast Wednesday night and Thursday, the hurricane<\/a> center said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hurlburt, near Valparaiso, Florida, is not planning a mandatory personnel evacuation now, Col. Michael Conley, commander of the 1st Special Operations Wing, said in a Facebook post Monday evening. But Hurlburt will only have essential personnel Tuesday, Conley said, and will likely be closed Wednesday, except for residents and emergency personnel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMy goal is to allow individuals the opportunity to prep for their homes and families for the storm and to keep traffic on the base at a bare minimum so we can prepare the base for the storm,\u201d Conley said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nearby Eglin Air Force Base also said that only mission-essential personnel will report for duty on Tuesday to finish hurricane preparation, and provide essential services, and the base will remain mission-essential Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n![\"\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Hurricane-Michael.jpg.jpg\")