Hurricane Milton, now a powerful Category 4 storm, continues to track east Tuesday, potentially hitting the densely populated Tampa Bay area once in 100 years.
Although Milton's strength has weakened slightly, the hurricane is expected to approach the Florida Gulf Coast and possibly make landfall in the Tampa Bay area by early Wednesday evening, with forecasters calling for “life-threatening” conditions. I'm warning you.
Some of the latest forecasts suggest Milton could hit south of Tampa, near Sarasota.
“This is an extremely life-threatening situation and residents should follow the advice of local authorities and evacuate immediately if instructed to do so.” Hurricane Center warns.
Forecasters said Milton rapidly strengthened on Monday, strengthening from a Category 1 storm to a near-record-breaking Category 5 hurricane, and still making landfall as a powerful Category 3 storm with winds ranging from 111 mph to 100 mph. He said it would be 199 miles.
Milton has weakened off the coast of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, but forecasters expect it to make landfall along the west coast of Florida and remain an “extremely dangerous hurricane.”
Forecasters also predict Milton will make landfall in the Tampa Bay area. The Tampa Bay area has not been hit by a major hurricane in over 100 years.
Cities like Tampa, Fort Myers, Orlando, and Jacksonville are all within Hurricane Milton's forecast cone. According to Fox Weather.
However, the spaghetti model for the storm shows that Milton's path will likely turn slightly south, passing directly through Sarasota, about an hour south of Tampa.
Even though the “eye” of the storm was south of Tampa, officials warned that the region would likely face widespread destruction from the powerful hurricane.
The National Hurricane Center has warned that storm surge in the Tampa Bay area could reach 10 to 15 feet above ground level, and a storm surge warning has been issued for Florida's west coast.
The highest storm surge is expected between areas north of Clearwater and just north of Sarasota.
The storm is also expected to inundate parts of the state still reeling from the effects of Hurricane Helen before heading into the Atlantic Ocean, sparing other states devastated by the storm.
The hurricane center said up to 15 inches of rain could cause “significant flash flooding, urban and regional flooding, along with moderate to major river flooding” in parts of the Florida peninsula. I warned you.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday urged people in the hurricane's path to find safe shelter.
“Evacuations are underway and we are suspending tolls and opening roads to make it easier for Floridians to safely evacuate,” DeSantis said.
“The State of Florida continues to respond to requests from communities in the predicted path of Hurricane Milton as we prepare for landfall. First responders will be deployed to potentially impacted areas along Florida's west coast.”
with post wire
