Live cameras: Hurricane Milton roars towards Florida's coast
Hurricane Milton strengthened as it churned through the Gulf of Mexico toward Florida on Wednesday and could wallop one of the state's major population centers with huge storm surges, lashing rain and destructive winds just two weeks after deadly Hurricane Helene swamped the coastline.
Milton, which returned to Category 5 status on Tuesday afternoon, is threatening the Tampa Bay area, which is home to more than 3.3 million people and has managed to evade a direct hit from a major hurricane for more than 100 years. Milton is also menacing other stretches of Florida's west coast that were battered when Helene came ashore on Sept. 26.
Traffic was thick Wednesday as people fled the Tampa area ahead of Milton. As they evacuated, crews along the coast hurried to clear Helene's debris so that Milton doesn't turn it into dangerous projectiles.
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Hurricane Milton update: Storm returns to Category 5 as Florida prepares for life-threatening impacts
Less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene hit Florida, residents are preparing for another major storm as Hurricane Milton strengthens in the Gulf of Mexico.
National Hurricane Center forecasters warned that Milton is "expected to be a dangerous major hurricane" when it reaches the Florida coast.
Milton is expected to make landfall on Florida's Gulf coast late Wednesday or early Thursday.
"We must be prepared for a major, major impact to the west coast of Florida," Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday.
As of Wednesday morning, the storm was about 300 miles (485 kilometers) southwest of Tampa with sustained winds of 160 mph (260 kph).
"A northeastward motion with some increase in forward speed is expected" through Wednesday night, the hurricane center said.
President Joe Biden, who postponed an overseas trip so he could remain at the White House to monitor Milton, warned that it "could be one of the worst storms in 100 years to hit Florida."
With the storm expected to remain fairly strong as it crosses Florida, hurricane warnings were extended early Tuesday to parts of the state’s east coast.