Pinned
A tornado has crossed I-75, according to the Miami-South Florida branch of the National Weather Service.
“TORNADO crossing I-75 as we speak! Seek shelter NOW!” the agency posted on X.
Hurricane Milton is the “storm of the century,” said Tampa Mayor Jane Castor.
“Clock’s ticking. The time to get out, that window is narrowing, and there is going to be a point very soon where you won't be able to get out,” she said at a press conference Wednesday.
Castor went on to say that transportation, shelters, and gas stations are available to those evacuating.
Officials in Sarasota County posted on Facebook Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, warning locals to evacuate if they could, as the area will be hit hard.
Sarasota County Emergency Management Chief Sandra Tapfumaneyi cautioned residents not to rely on past hurricane experience.
“We don't have anything to compare it to, because the last time we had a hurricane with this kind of impact, it was in the 1940s–80 years ago. So anything that you're comparing it to is not going to be relevant for this situation,” she said.
Hurricane Milton is clinging tight to its status as a major hurricane as it spins its way toward Florida. Here’s the latest information on the storm as of 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 9:
- Milton is a Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale with maximum sustained wind speeds of 155 miles per hour.
Researchers with the USGS noted that 95 percent of Florida’s western coast sandy beaches are going to be “continuously covered by ocean water” as Milton slams into the state later Wednesday.
“This is the most severe level of coastal change,” the agency warned on Monday.
Time is running out to evacuate for those in areas projected to be impacted by Hurricane Milton, warned the Florida Division of Emergency Management Wednesday morning.
“9AM, 10/9: Now is your last chance to evacuate in response to #Milton. There are 155 shelters open throughout the state, including 7 state-operated facilities,” the agency posted on X with a link to a list of shelters.
A tornado watch has been issued by the National Weather Service for parts of Florida until 9 p.m. ET. Wednesday.
The affected areas include Tampa Bay, Miami, Cape Coral, Sarasota, Key Largo, Bonita Springs, Jupiter Farms, and North Port.
The warning was issued as Hurricane Milton is set to make landfall overnight on Oct. 9.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) gave an update at 8 a.m. (ET) on Oct. 9, and said Hurricane Milton had weakened slightly and was now a Category 4 storm.
It said the storm system was moving northeast across the Gulf of Mexico at 16 mph.
The NHC said, "On the forecast track, the center of Milton will move across the eastern Gulf of Mexico today, make landfall along the west-central coast of Florida late tonight or early Thursday morning."
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) said, in an advisory published at 4 a.m. (ET) on Oct. 9, "Milton has been maintaining its strength as a catastrophic category 5 hurricane over the southeastern Gulf of Mexico."
The maximum sustained winds are near 160 mph, with higher gusts.
They said satellite and doppler radar images indicated it had a, "compact, symmetric, and very powerful inner core."
Hurricane Milton remains a powerful Category 5 storm which is expected to make landfall in the Tampa and St. Petersburg area later on Wednesday or in the early hours of Thursday.
The National Hurricane Center posted an update at 4 a.m. (ET) on Oct. 9, saying, "Milton remains a catastrophic Category 5 hurricane ... forecast to make landfall on the Florida gulf coast late tonight as a dangerous major hurricane."
The Tampa Bay area has a population of around 3.3 million, making it the second-most populous in the state after the Miami area.
Floridians were scurrying on Oct. 8 to prepare for a second devastating hit in as many weeks. But this time they expected a storm unlike any the hurricane-hardened residents in the central swath of the state have seen in 20 years.
With Hurricane Milton barreling toward a projected Tampa Bay-area landfall—the first in a century—residents in coastal evacuation zones still inundated by Hurricane Helene’s sideswipe were being urged to flee.
But the main escape routes, Interstate 75–running from the bottom of the state to the top and beyond–and Interstate 4, which stretches across the state, intermittently left drivers at a standstill for miles.
Meteorologist Christianne Jordon Pearce took to X on Tuesday evening to demonstrate the real danger of what she called an “historic, life-threatening storm surge.”
Standing next to a pole in front of the National Weather Service building, she used three arrows to demonstrate the actual height of flood surges from Helene at 7 feet, and predicted surges from Milton at 10 and 15 feet.
She then cautioned viewers that those trapped in flooded areas might have to escape to an attic, and that they should bring an axe in case they needed to cut their way out onto the roof.
Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando, and SeaWorld Orlando will shut down operations in anticipation of Hurricane Milton, starting Wednesday.
Universal Studios and SeaWorld have also announced that their parks will remain closed on Thursday, with Disney likely to follow suit.
"We will consider opening Disney Springs on Thursday in the late afternoon, with limited offerings," the company said in a statement.
The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has warned people to evacuate ahead of Hurricane Milton as ports and bridges are set to close.
"You've heard how evacuations happen here. Get out of the storm surge area, get to a place of safety. We need access to remain for all our facilities," FDOT Secretary Jared Perdue said during a press conference.
Already, the Ports of Key West, Tampa Bay, St. Pete, and SeaPort Manatee have been closed waterside, according to FDOT.
Officials in St. Petersburg, Florida, are warning of the safety hazards posed by local construction cranes as Hurricane Milton threatens the state's west coast.
“Wind gusts of 100+ mph could exceed the safe limits for tower cranes, posing a risk of malfunction,” officials advised via the city's X account, sharing a map of areas where cranes are currently in place.
Construction sites to avoid include 400 Central Ave., 275 1st Ave., 1000 1st Ave N., and 101 Main St. N.
Tampa Bay's sports teams have been impacted by the hurricane soon making landfall.
The Buccaneers left Tampa Bay on Oct. 8 morning as the NFL team will be playing in New Orleans against the Saints.
The Lightning's preseason has come to an end as the NHL team's game against the Nashville Predators has been canceled.