PHILADELPHIA - Florida's west coast is bracing for a direct hit from Hurricane Milton, a massive and powerful storm that's expected to make landfall midweek as a Category 3 hurricane.
Still spinning in the Gulf of Mexico, Hurricane Milton continued its torrid pace towards Florida as a Category 4 hurricane with mind boggling wind gusts of 155 MPH.
Watches and warnings were issued in Florida ahead of Milton's arrival, and in other states like Georgia and North Carolina that are still reeling from Hurricane Helene.
Forecasters warned of a possible 8- to 15-foot storm surge in the Tampa Bay area. That’s the highest ever predicted for the location and nearly double the levels reached two weeks ago during Helene, said hurricane center spokeswoman Maria Torres.
Hurricane Milton preparations in FL, GA, SC, residents warned to listen to local officials
Milton has strengthened into a powerful Category 5 storm with winds reaching 180 mph. President Biden is expected to provide an update on the federal response.
The storm could also bring widespread flooding. Five to 10 inches of rain was forecast for mainland Florida and the Keys, with as much as 15 inches expected in some places.
Other cities, including Fort Myers, Orlando and Jacksonville, are also in the forecast cone for Hurricane Milton. Traffic was thick on Interstate 75 heading north on Tuesday as evacuees fled in advance of Milton. Crews were also hurrying to clear debris left by Helene.
Milton will make landfall on the west coast of Florida late Wednesday, according to the National Hurricane Center’s Live Hurricane Tracker.
It’s expected to be a Category 3 storm with winds of 111-129 mph when it hits the shore in the Tampa Bay region, which has not endured a head-on hit by a major hurricane in more than a century.
It could retain hurricane strength as it churns across central Florida toward the Atlantic Ocean, forecasters say. That track would largely spare other states hit by Helene, which killed at least 230 people on its path from Florida to the Carolinas.