Hurricane Milton was downgraded to Category 3 storm Wednesday with maximum sustained winds of 125 mph as it moved closer to landfall along Florida’s Gulf Coast, which is still reeling from Helene.
Milton, which began the day as a Category 5 storm, still poses a “dangerous” threat, the National Hurricane Center said, warning that damaging winds and “life-threatening” storm surge will extend well outside the forecast zone.
The center of the storm is expected to make landfall in the Tampa area late Wednesday or in the early morning hours of Thursday and maintain hurricane status as it moves east-northeast across central Florida on Thursday.
Hurricane Milton live updates: Category 3 storm to make landfall Wednesday night
“There is high confidence that this hurricane is going to pack a major, major punch and do an awful lot of damage,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said at a press briefing on Wednesday.
Fifty-one counties in the state are under a state of emergency, with millions of people under evacuation orders.
The storm is one of only 40 hurricanes on record that have escalated to a Category 5 level in the Atlantic, and one of seven hurricanes to have gone from a Category 1 classification to a Category 5 in 24 hours or less. Officials with the Federal Emergency Management Agency described Milton as the third-fastest-growing storm on record in the Atlantic, following Hurricanes Wilma (2005) and Felix (2007).
Where is Hurricane Milton and what is its path?
As of 4 p.m. ET Wednesday:
Milton was located around 100 miles west-northwest of Ft. Myers.
It was about 100 miles southwest of Tampa.
The storm had maximum sustained winds of 125 mph.
The storm was moving northeast at 17 mph.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
The NHC warned that “a large area of destructive storm surge” will occur along parts of Florida’s west coast.
“This is an extremely life-threatening situation and residents in those areas should follow advice given by local officials and evacuate immediately if told to do so,” the hurricane center said.
Up to 15 feet of storm surge is possible in some areas.
NOAA
Meanwhile, portions of the Florida Peninsula and the Florida Keys can expect rainfall of 5 to 10 inches, with localized totals up to 15 inches through Wednesday night. Such rainfall brings “the risk of considerable flash, urban and areal flooding, along with the potential for moderate to major river flooding,” meteorologists said.
Watches and warnings
As of 11 a.m. ET Wednesday, a hurricane warning is in effect for:
Florida’s west coast from Bonita Beach northward to Suwannee River, including Tampa Bay
Florida’s east coast from the St. Lucie/Martin County Line northward to Ponte Vedra Beach
A “hurricane warning” means hurricane conditions are expected within the area. Precautions and preparation for people and property should be completed.
A hurricane watch is in effect for:
Florida’s west coast, from Chokoloskee to south of Bonita Beach
Rio Lagartos to Cabo Catoche
Dry Tortugas
Lake Okeechobee
A “hurricane watch” means hurricane conditions are possible within the areas and is usually issued 48 hours before the hurricane is anticipated to hit.
A tropical storm warning is in effect for:
All of the Florida Keys, including Dry Tortugas and Florida Bay
Lake Okeechobee
Florida’s west coast ,from Flamingo to south of Bonita Beach
Florida west coast from north of the mouth of the Suwanee River to Indian Pass
Florida east coast south of the Indian River/St. Lucie County Line to Flamingo
Florida east coast north of Ponte Vedra Beach to the Savannah River
Extreme northwestern Bahamas, including Grand Bahama Island, the Abacos and Bimini
A “tropical storm warning” means tropical storm conditions are expected in the areas within the next 36 hours.
A tropical storm watch is in effect for:
Coast of Georgia and South Carolina, north of St. Mary’s River to South Santee River
Extreme northwestern Bahamas, including Grand Bahama Island, the Abacos and Bimini
A “tropical storm watch” means tropical storm conditions are possible in the areas within the next 48 hours.
A storm surge warning is in effect for:
The west coast of Florida from Flamingo northward to Yankeetown, including Tampa Bay and Charlotte Harbor
The east coast of Florida from Sebastian Inlet, Fla., to Altamaha Sound, Ga., including the St. Johns River
A “storm surge warning” means there is a danger of life-threatening inundation during the next 36 hours.
Evacuation orders
Heavy traffic flows northbound on Interstate-75 in Ocala, Fla., Monday as people evacuate the Tampa Bay area ahead of Hurricane Milton’s arrival. (Julio Cortez/AP) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)
As of Wednesday afternoon, the Florida Division of Emergency Management had ordered mandatory evacuations for people living in evacuation zones in 15 Florida counties, and voluntary evacuations for eight others.
Mandatory evacuations are in effect for:
Charlotte County
Citrus County
Collier County
Flagler County
Hernando County
Hillsborough County
Lee County
Levy County
Manatee County
Marion County
Pasco County
Pinellas County
Sarasota County
St. Johns County
Volusia County
Voluntary evacuations are in effect for:
Dixie County
Gilchrist County
Glades County
Hardee County
Lake County
Miami-Dade County
Okeechobee County
Palm Beach County
To figure out whether you live in an evacuation zone, click here.
Milton comes days after Helene
Workers clear debris in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in Cedar Key, Fla., Sept. 27. (Gerald Herbert/AP) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Hurricane Milton comes just over a week after Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region as a monstrous Category 4 storm, causing at least 20 deaths in Florida alone.
During a press call Monday afternoon, FEMA noted that the organization will not be diverting any personnel already working in areas affected by Hurricane Helene to Milton’s path just yet.
After making landfall with 140 mph winds, Helene moved inland across the Southeast, leaving more than 200 people dead and widespread destruction in its wake. Following the storm, Florida’s infrastructure and emergency services have been stretched thin.
Read more from Yahoo News: Helene shows that hurricanes in the age of climate change don’t wreck just coastlines
Active hurricane season
Hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30, but the peak of heightened activity is usually from August through October. According to NOAA, a “typical” hurricane season in the Atlantic will usually see around 14 named storms, “of which seven become hurricanes and three become major hurricanes.”
As of early October, eight hurricanes have formed in the Atlantic — with Milton becoming the 13th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season. As CNN notes, hurricane season is running ahead of the expected schedule. Typically, the 13th storm of the season wouldn’t hit until at least Oct. 25.
Last week, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas warned that FEMA did not have the funds to make it through the season. President Biden said last week that Congress may need to pass a supplemental spending bill in the next couple of months to help fund states’ recovery efforts.