*By Carlo Versano*
Tropical Storm Michael moved rapidly northeast over Georgia and the Carolinas on Thursday after coming ashore as an unprecedented Category 4 on the Florida Panhandle a day earlier and doing severe damage to coastal cities like Panama Beach.
But the biggest fears of potentially catastrophic storm surge did not appear to have been realized. Sarah Rosario, a reporter for the local CBS affiliate in St. Petersburg, Fla., told Cheddar from Crystal River that the waters there had receded, and "things are looking much better."
Up north on the panhandle, though, the damage was more severe. At least two people are dead and hundreds of thousands remain without power after Michael made a direct hit on the region. "This is the biggest storm that area has seen ever," Rosario noted. "It came out of nowhere."
The focus now turns to flooding in the southeast, where the ground remains saturated with rainwater from last month's Hurricane Florence. Michael is expected to quickly move north toward Virginia before exiting back into the Atlantic as a post-tropical system.
Michael is the [fourth](https://twitter.com/chrisdolcewx/status/1050348660339412992) Category 4 storm to hit the U.S. in 14 months.
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/hurricane-michael-hits-florida).
A new study suggests that apes can have long-lasting social memories similar to humans.
The wINTERverse in downtown Manhattan offers an immersive and interactive art experience for patrons as winter officially kicks off. Zach Blutner, managing director of Inter, joined Cheddar News to discuss what people should expect at the location.
Much of the country is expected to see unusually mild temperatures over the Christmas weekend.
According to an American Christmas Tree Association poll, about 77% of people say they will display an artificial Christmas tree rather than a real one.
A new study shows that people reduce their calorie intake at restaurants when they're given nutritional information on the menu.
British actor Charlie Hunnam is opening up about almost landing a big role in the Star Wars franchise.
New York State will create a commission tasked with considering reparations to address the persistent, harmful effects of slavery in the state under a bill signed into law by Gov. Kathy Hochul on Tuesday.
Beyonce fans were convinced the long-awaited Renaissance visuals were going to be dropped Tuesday but on Monday, the singer's website crashed when a rumor of a surprise announcement flooded social media.
George Clooney is closing the door when it comes to potentially donning the bat suit again.
Amazon Prime Video shared the trailer for an upcoming series called 'Expats.'
