WASHINGTON (AP) — Moist air, warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico, and ideal wind patterns supercharged Hurricane Michael in the hours before it smacked Florida's Panhandle.
Hurricane Michael was barely a hurricane Tuesday morning, with winds of 90 mph. A little over a day later, it had transformed into a monster. When it made landfall Wednesday afternoon, it was blowing at 155 mph. That's a 72 percent increase in wind speed in less than 33 hours.
Fast, furious: How Michael grew into a 155 mph monster
Michael 155 mph monster
![](https://tennessee.cdn-anvilcms.net/media/images/2018/10/10/images/Hurricane-Michael-2018-updates-1029219.max-1200x675.jpg)
![Hurricane-Michael-2018-updates-1029219.jpg](https://tennessee.cdn-anvilcms.net/media/images/2018/10/10/images/Hurricane-Michael-2018-updates-1029219.max-752x423.jpg)
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