Hurricane Milton quickly developed into a Category 5 hurricane and then further intensified, with maximum sustained winds of 175 miles per hour, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).
“Hurricane #Milton Advisory 10A: Milton will intensify explosively with winds of 175 mph,” the NHC said in an update Monday afternoon, urging residents to follow the advice of local authorities.
This update means 51 Florida counties are under state of emergency, including Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Brevard, Broward, Charlotte, Citrus, Clay, Collier, Columbia, DeSoto, Dixie, Duval, Flagler, Gilchrist, Glades, and Hamilton. This was done in response to the declaration. , Hardy, Hendry, Hernando, Highland, Hillsboro, Indian River, Lafayette Lake, Lee, Levy, Madison, Manatee, Marion, Martin, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Nassau, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas , Polk, Putnam, Sarasota, Seminole, St. John's, St. Lucie, Sumter, Suwanee, Taylor, Union, and Volusia.
The current storm track indicates that the storm is moving into the west side of the state, somewhere near Tampa Bay, where it is expected to exit to the east side of the state.
Tampa Mayor Jane Castor: “This place with Milton is real'' said. “If you want to stand up to Mother Nature, Mother Nature will win 100% of the time.”
President Biden on Monday declared a state of emergency exists for the state of Florida and ordered federal assistance to supplement state, tribal, and local response efforts for the ongoing Hurricane Milton emergency beginning October 5, 2024. Ta”.
In an update on the storm Monday morning, DeSantis said the storm, which is causing mass evacuations, “is expected to make landfall on the west coast of Florida by Wednesday evening or possibly early Thursday morning.” .
“If we continue like this, we're going to be pushed back on landfall. Of course, you can see the impact before the eyewall hits the ground. We've asked FEMA to help us make a pre-landfall declaration…and that's about it. We hope to receive positive approval,” he added.
Thousands of people are currently evacuated.
