NYC weather: Cooler temps expected while Hurricane Michael death toll climbs in the southeast

Oct. 12--New Yorkers can look forward to largely sunny skies this weekend with a spot of rain Saturday morning.

The National Weather Service expects a high of 68 degrees Friday, with temperatures cooling down this weekend, when it will only reach the high 50s.

However, there's another chance for showers Saturday morning, but most of the precipitation is expected by 9 a.m., according to the NWS.

Further south, Hurricane Michael's strength waned as it pushed into Georgia. Early Thursday, it was downgraded to a tropical storm, with top sustained winds diminishing to 50 mph.

However, the death toll from Michael rose to 12 on Friday morning, with victims in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia, officials said. FEMA administrator Brock Long told CNN he expected the fatality count to continue to climb as responders searched for survivors.

Hurricane Michael made landfall Wednesday as a Category 4 storm, hitting the Florida Panhandle with 155 mph winds. It is considered the strongest storm to ever hit that region and the third-most powerful storm on record to make landfall in the continental United States.

About 500,000 Floridians spanning 20 counties were ordered to evacuate before the hurricane hit, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. However, Brad Kieserman, of the American Red Cross, said as many as 320,000 people disregarded the order.

Nearly 1.5 million homes and businesses were without power from Florida to Virginia on Friday.

Earlier this week, President Donald Trump declared a state of emergency for the entire state of Florida, freeing up federal assistance to supplement state and local disaster responses.

With Reuters

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