Mapped: Charting Hurricane Milton’s path as it heads for Florida
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Hurricane Milton is anticipated to hit Florida's Gulf coast on Wednesday as a Category 4 hurricane, bringing with it destructive winds, dangerous storm surges, and the risk of flash flooding to areas that have already been severely affected by Hurricane Helene.
On Monday, Milton quickly escalated from a tropical storm to a Category 4 hurricane, featuring sustained winds of an intense 150 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The hurricane arrives just under two weeks after Hurricane Helene hit Florida's Big Bend area, resulting in over 220 fatalities and inflicting hundreds of billions of dollars in damage throughout the Southeast.
As recovery operations continue, residents of Florida are preparing for another storm that, as of Monday morning, is heading northwest and moving unpredictably across the southern Gulf of Mexico on its way to the west coast of the Florida Peninsula.
Milton is projected to reach the densely populated Tampa Bay region around the middle of the week, then move on toward Orlando.
The National Hurricane Center has issued a warning that parts of Florida’s peninsula and the Florida Keys could receive as much as 15 inches of rain by Wednesday evening. These intense downpours are likely to lead to significant flash flooding.
On Monday morning, a storm surge watch was in effect for a large part of Florida's west coast, stretching from the south to the Big Bend area. Authorities expected the highest surge to be as much as 12 feet in places like Tampa Bay and the Anclote River.
Residents of Florida are being advised to prepare for what Kevin Guthrie, the head of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, described as potentially the biggest evacuation since Hurricane Irma in 2017. Guthrie strongly recommends that people consider leaving their homes.
Authorities in Pinellas County, where Hurricane Helene caused 12 fatalities, stated on Sunday that they will probably order mandatory evacuations for over 500,000 residents living in the most flood-prone regions on Monday.
"This is going to be serious. That's all you really need to understand," said Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri at an emergency press conference on Sunday afternoon. "Everyone should leave the area immediately."
He cautioned that evacuation protocols need to be adhered to more rigorously, informing business owners that "we will close you down" if necessary to minimize the danger to lives.
President Joe Biden was first informed about Milton on Sunday, with the White House announcing that the government is getting ready with "life-saving resources ahead of the storm." Biden is set to participate in another briefing on Monday afternoon.
On Sunday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis revealed that 4,000 National Guard members have been sent to the state to help remove debris left behind by Hurricane Helene in anticipation of Hurricane Milton. He cautioned that the current debris could significantly worsen any potential damage.
"The governor stated that you have plenty of time to get ready—throughout today, all of Monday, and likely all day Tuesday—to ensure your hurricane preparedness plan is set."
Alex DaSilva, the chief hurricane expert at AccuWeather, cautioned that debris from Helene has the potential to become dangerous projectiles or get carried off by flooding and rising waters.
The lead meteorologist at the weather prediction company, Jonathan Porter, referred to Milton as a "rare storm that Floridians may only experience once in their lives."
