As powerhouse Michael, a Category 4 hurricane, smashed into the Florida Panhandle on Wednesday, the supercharged storm had maximum sustained winds of 155 mph at landfall – just two miles shy of a Category 5, the fiercest on the scale.

An hour after landfall, the storm's winds had weakened slightly to 150 mph. By 5 p.m., winds had eased to a still brutal 125 mph. Hurricanes generally lose strength over land since their source of energy (warm sea water) is gone.

The storm, however, was likely to remain intense for some time, forecasters said, even as the hurricane approached southeastern Alabama and southwest Georgia. "It's going to stay a hurricane for a while," National Hurricane Center Director Ken Graham said.

"Life threatening storm surge and catastrophic winds continue," the Hurricane Center warned,

Before landfall Wednesday, meteorologists weren't sure whether Michael would cross the threshold for a Category 5 – 157-mph winds – but one thing they were certain of: The hurricane wasn't likely to lose its punch.

"There doesn’t seem to be any opportunity for this storm to weaken at all, and it may strengthen," said Brett Rathbun, a meteorologist with AccuWeather.

Scott Pecoriello, with meteorological data analytics firm Weather Optics, said the storm could have "possibly" approached Category 5 strength based on rotational features at the storm's center. "A sign of extreme winds and further intensification. Sustained winds of 145 mph will destroy anything in its path," he tweeted.

Even though the storm felt slightly short of a Cat 5, soon after landfall, the power of Michael was evident: Rain blew sideways and wind gusts roared, snapping trees, shredding rooftops and sending debris flying. Early photos out of Mexico Beach, Florida, near where the storm made landfall, showed submerged houses and a pulverized community.

Damaging winds and floods could stretch from northern Florida into southeastern Virginia in the next 48 hours.

The storm picked up steam rapidly in recent days: From a tropical depression over the weekend to a Category 2 on Tuesday to a Cat 4 on Wednesday as it drew energy from warm Gulf waters.

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Michael's barometric pressure at landfall was 919 millibars – making it the third-strongest hurricane to hit the U.S. on record, trailing only the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane and Hurricane Camille in 1969.

Prior to Michael, no Category 4 hurricane had ever hit the Florida Panhandle since record keeping began more than 150 years ago. Only six storms in this century hit landfall on the Florida coasts as Category 3 or better, and only one, Charley, had winds above 120 mph. The most recent Category 3 hurricane or stronger to hit the state was Hurricane Irma (115 mph) in September 2017.

Michael's brutal storm surge – potentially up 18 to 20 feet in some places – could be catastrophic no matter what the category was, forecasters said.

"Michael is a historic storm. ... The coastline will be changed for decades," AccuWeather's Marshall Moss said.

Contributing: Doyle Rice, John Bacon, Kristin Lam; The Associated Press