“Hurricane Michael is forecast to be the most destructive storm to hit the Florida Panhandle in decades,” Florida Gov. Rick Scott warned on Tuesday.

Hurricane Michael strengthened to a Category 2 storm Tuesday morning as it barreled toward Florida’s northeast Gulf Coast, threatening catastrophic storm surge, torrential rain and heavy winds.

“Hurricane Michael is forecast to be the most destructive storm to hit the Florida Panhandle in decades,” Florida Gov. Rick Scott warned on Tuesday.

The storm is expected to move across the eastern Gulf of Mexico through Tuesday and make landfall in the Panhandle on Wednesday afternoon as a Category 3 storm, according to the National Weather Service.

On Tuesday, Michael’s top sustained winds had risen to 100 mph, which will increase to at least 110 mph before walloping the Panhandle with “life-threatening” storm surge, heavy rainfall and likely tornados, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Hurricane force winds will extend 40 miles from the center of the storm, the center said.

“Some hurricane force winds are going to go well-inland, said FEMA official Jeff Byard, adding that Florida’s power structure will likely take a greater hit than the Carolina’s saw during Hurricane Florence.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott on Tuesday morning urged residents in the path of the storm to evacuate, saying the effects of the storm would start well before landfall.

“Hurricane Michael is a monstrous storm. The forecast keeps getting more dangerous,” he said.

Scott said he’s most worried about the forecasted “absolutely deadly” eight to 12 feet of storm surge expected, even in non-coastal areas.

“Water will come miles inshore and could easily be over the roofs of houses,” Scott said.

“You cannot hide from storm surge so get prepared and get out if an evacuation is ordered,” he said. “Remember, we can rebuild your house, but we cannot rebuild your life.”

He said 2,500 National Guardsman are prepared to assist.

On Monday, Scott requested that President Donald Trump declare a pre-landfall emergency for the state, and declared a state of emergency in 35 counties.

Government offices will close in those counties, and while Tuesday marked the deadline for Floridians to register to vote, residents will be allowed to register on the day those offices reopen, according to a secretary of state office statement. The Florida Democratic Party filed a lawsuit Tuesday saying that the one-day extension was insufficient and confusing.

By Friday, the Florida Panhandle and Big Bend, southeast Alabama, and southern Georgia could all see 4 to 8 inches of rain, with some areas getting a foot, the NWS said.

Eastern Georgia, the Carolinas, and southern Virginia should expect 3 to 6 inches of rain through Friday, and Western Cuba should prepare for 4 to 8 inches, the NWS said.

The Carolinas are only beginning to recover from Hurricane Florence, which left dozens dead and a trail of devastation last month.