Officials say storm will make landfall “within an hour or two”
“The center of Milton is expected to make landfall just south of the Tampa Bay area within the next 1 to 2 hours,” the National Hurricane Center said in an 8 p.m. briefing. The storm is expected to cross the state overnight and enter the Atlantic Ocean on Thursday.
The eyewall is already bringing strong winds to the Tampa area as the center of the storm approaches. Wind gusts of 96 mph were recently reported at Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport, and gusts of 90 mph were reported in Venice, the report said.
“,”elementId”:”aa0e1dad-dcb7-4c57-8d9e-b60460355e1c”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
As the center of the storm approaches, the eye wall is already bringing high winds to the Tampa area. A gust of 96mph was recently reported at the Sarasota-Bradenton international airport, according to the report, while a gust of 90mph was reported in Venice.
“,”elementId”:”cb07b9e3-d777-4d79-8287-a64e5949d13d”}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:true,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1728518877000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”20.07 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1728519469000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”: “20.17 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1728519238000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”20.13 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”20.13″,”title”:”Authorities say storm will make landfall “within the next 1-2 hours.” ,”contributors “:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Wednesday 9 October 2024 20.23 EDT”,”SecondaryDateLine”:”First published Wednesday 9 October 2024 19.15 EDT”},{“id”:”670715978f08f2b9f7a4a73c”,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Florida governor Ron DeSantis delivered updates on Hurricane Milton as the storm begins to make landfall south of Tampa.
“,”elementId”:”0f5038bb-18a7-4989-ad21-bab443a0f510″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
“There’s already been 116 tornado warnings, with 19 confirmed touchdowns throughout the state, nine flash flood warnings and four additional flood watches, with many, many more to come,” he said.
“,”elementId”:”3e2624eb-fb97-4952-81f5-13cc6cafacd6″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Addressing fuel shortages – more than 60% of gas stations in Tampa and St Petersburg were without fuel on Wednesday afternoon, according to analysts at GasBuddy – he added: “When the ports reopen, Florida Highway Patrol will be standing by to escort fuel trucks to service stations so that people will have access to fuel as they return to their homes.
“,”elementId”:”a59c68a5-32ec-4a41-ae99-2a1523f81b33″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
“At this point, it is too dangerous to evacuate safely, so you have to hunker down,” he said.
“,”elementId”:”b27f00e8-2dad-45c1-92b2-e5ccca714649″}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1728517527000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”19.45 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1728518775000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”: “20.06 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1728517813000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”19.50 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”19.50″,”title”:”The governor says it is “too dangerous to safely evacuate at this time.” “,”contributors “:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Wednesday 9 October 2024 20.23 EDT”,”SecondaryDateLine”:”First published Wednesday 9 October 2024 19.15 EDT”},{“id”:”670711c68f083b19333a8e69″,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
The National Weather Service issued at least 98 tornado warnings in the state of Florida between noon and 6pm ET Wednesday as Hurricane Milton prepared to make landfall on the state’s western coast. The service reported sightings of at least 20 tornados, the Washington Post reports.
“,”elementId”:”5788d04b-b3b6-4840-a856-7476eb5ff898″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Meanwhile, major flooding is under way across the state, including in Naples and Fort Myers, where the storm surge has pushed water levels above 3ft.
“,”elementId”:”2ac41c99-0d71-4112-b451-6f7181d2fc37″}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1728516550000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”19.29 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1728518199000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”: “19.56 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1728516995000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”19.36 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”19.36″,”title”:”Nearly 100 tornado warnings issued ahead of Hurricane Milton's landfall “,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Wednesday 9 October 2024 20.23 EDT”,”SecondaryDateLine”:”First published Wednesday 9 October 2024 19.15 EDT”},{“id”:”670700108f083b19333a8df0″,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Florida is bracing for imminent landfall of Hurricane Milton, with winds along the west coast of the state continuing to increase as the center of the storm bears down on Sarasota.
“,”elementId”:”208acc8f-5d33-4b5f-b6f9-71c70ca60bdd”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
A sustained wind of 58mph and a gust of 77mph were reported near Tampa Bay, according to the National Hurricane Center.
“,”elementId”:”23f4d16a-5abe-4445-ba94-aa4696aac1a7″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
CNN reported that storm surge is ramping up in south-west Florida: Naples is under nearly 3ft of water. Fort Myers saw nearly 2ft of inundation over normally dry ground by 5pm ET.
“,”elementId”:”dc4d99a5-b341-4d4b-aa26-6d7ac4c92db1″}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1728515746000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”19.15 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1728515653000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”: “19.14 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1728515746000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”19.15 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”19.15″,”title”:”Florida faces strong winds as it prepares for Hurricane Milton to make landfall”,”Contributed person”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Wednesday 9 October 2024 20.23 EDT”,”SecondaryDateLine”:”Initial publication date Wednesday 9 October 2024 19.15 EDT”}],”filterKeyEvents”:false,”id”:”key -events-carousel-mobile “,”absoluteServerTimes”:false}”>
main events
More than 600,000 Florida homes are without power as Hurricane Milton batters the state's west coast, up from 311,000 just an hour earlier. Poweroutage.us. Just two weeks ago, approximately 3.5 million Americans were left without power after Hurricane Helen caused unprecedented damage across large swathes of the southeastern United States.
Officials say storm will make landfall “within an hour or two”
“The center of Milton is expected to make landfall just south of the Tampa Bay area within the next 1 to 2 hours,” the National Hurricane Center said in an 8 p.m. briefing. The storm is expected to cross the state overnight and enter the Atlantic Ocean on Thursday.
The eyewall is already bringing strong winds to the Tampa area as the center of the storm approaches. Wind gusts of 96 mph were recently reported at Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport, and gusts of 90 mph were reported in Venice, the report said.
Hurricane Milton made landfall just south of the city of Tampa, bringing extreme rain and wind to the city. Wind gusts of up to 90 mph were reported at St. Petersburg's Albert Whitted Airport, and more than 6 inches of rain had already fallen in Tampa. The National Weather Prediction Center expects rain to continue falling at 2 to 3 inches per hour tonight as the storm makes landfall.
Governor: “It's too dangerous to evacuate safely at this point.''
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis gave an update on Hurricane Milton as the storm begins to make landfall south of Tampa.
“There are already 116 tornado warnings in effect, 19 confirmed groundings across the state, nine flash flood warnings and four additional flood watches, with more warnings to come. “Deaf,'' he said.
GasBuddy analysts said more than 60% of gas stations in Tampa and St. Petersburg were out of fuel as of Wednesday afternoon to combat the fuel shortage. “Florida Highway Patrol will be on standby to escort the fuel truck once the port reopens,” it added. Setting up gas stations will allow people to get fuel when they return home.
“At this time it is too dangerous to evacuate safely and we must hunker down,” he said.
Nearly 100 tornado warnings issued before Hurricane Milton makes landfall
The National Weather Service has issued at least 98 tornado warnings for Florida from noon Wednesday to 6 p.m. ET due to the hurricane.Milton prepared to land on the west coast of the state. The service reported at least 20 tornado sightings. The Washington Post reported.
Meanwhile, major flooding is occurring across the state, including Naples and Fort Myers, where storm surge has caused water levels to exceed 3 feet.
As Hurricane Milton began to make landfall, storm chaser and meteorologist Reid Timmer, who has been tracking the storm, shared footage taken from just south of Tampa. Hurricane-force wind gusts (more than 114 mph) were reported along the coast, including a 90 mph gust at Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport, according to CNN.
Hurricane Milton's eyewall has arrived!!@EdgarONealWX @localmanweather pic.twitter.com/wtoxtkAGie
— Dr. Reed Timmer (@ReedTimmerUSA) October 9, 2024
“}}”/>
More than 311,000 customers in Florida are without power as Hurricane Milton begins to make landfall near Tampa. Poweroutage.us. The site tracks a total of 11.5 million users in the state. Most of the areas experiencing power outages are concentrated along the state's Gulf Coast.
Florida faces strong winds as it prepares for Hurricane Milton to make landfall
Florida is preparing for the imminent landfall of Hurricane Milton, with winds continuing to increase along the state's west coast as the center of the storm approaches Sarasota.
Sustained winds of 58 mph and gusts of 127 mph were reported near Tampa Bay, according to the National Hurricane Center.
CNN reported that storm surge was intensifying across Southwest Florida, with Naples under nearly 3 feet of water. By 5 p.m. ET, about 2 feet of water had flooded the normally dry ground in Fort Myers.
