Michael to make landfall in Florida as major hurricane: NHC

(Reuters) - Hurricane Michael, moving north-northwestward through the southern Gulf of Mexico, is expected to make landfall as a major hurricane in Florida, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said on Tuesday. The category 1 hurricane, located about 390 miles (630 km) south of Apalachicola, Florida with maximum sustained winds of 90 miles per hour (150 kph), is expected to move inland over the Florida Panhandle or Florida Big Bend area on Wednesday, the NHC said. A tropical storm watch is now in effect along the southeastern coast of the United States from Fernandina Beach, Florida to South Santee River, South Carolina, the NHC said, adding that weakening is expected after landfall as Michael moves through the southeastern United States. (Reporting by Harshith Aranya and Arpan Varghese in Bengaluru; editing by Jason Neely)