Milton Strengthens to Category 4 Hurricane, on Track to Hit Florida

Pinellas County residents fill sandbags at John Chestnut Park in Palm Harbor, Fla., on Oct. 6, 2024. Bryan R. Smith/AFP via Getty Images

Hurricane Milton strengthened to a Category 4 hurricane, the National Hurricane Center reported on Oct. 7, two days before the storm was expected to hit Florida’s Gulf Coast.

Milton’s winds have increased to 150 miles per hour, the center’s experts said. Milton jumped two categories within hours to Category 4.

Category 4 hurricanes bring winds of up to 156 miles per hour and can inflict “catastrophic damage,” according to the center. When Category 4 hurricanes hit, well-built framed homes can “sustain severe damage with loss of most of the roof structure and/or some exterior walls. Most trees will be snapped or uprooted and power poles downed,” the center says on its website.

Milton is currently about 150 miles from Mexico and 735 miles away from Tampa. It is moving from the west.

The National Hurricane Center has issued a hurricane watch along the Gulf Coast, from Chokoloskee up to the mouth of the Suwanee River, an area that includes Tampa Bay. The center issues hurricane watches 48 hours before impacts from a hurricane are expected. The center has also issued a storm surge watch from Flamingo to the Suwanee River, warning there is a possibility of life-threatening inundation within two days from storm-caused water surges.

Water levels could reach up to 12 feet in some areas of Florida after the storm hits, according to the center.

Milton is currently forecast to make landfall in Florida on Wednesday.

Tornadoes and other impacts could start on Tuesday, the center said in a Monday morning overview.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared emergencies in 51 counties in Florida on Sunday. Some local authorities, including officials in Pinellas County, have declared local emergencies and issued mandatory evacuation orders ahead of the hurricane.

Residents along the coast should follow advice from local officials and evacuate if told to do so, the National Hurricane Center said.

Other officials are holding off on evacuation orders for now, saying they’re uncertain how their areas will be impacted. Residents have been told to be ready.

“Residents are urged to prepare for high winds, heavy rainfall, and storm surge beginning as early as Tuesday night,” the city of Palm Coast said in a statement.

Parts of Florida are still recovering from Hurricane Helene, which left hundreds of people across multiple states dead and knocked the power out for millions of households. DeSantis told a briefing over the weekend that the Florida National Guard and its partners are working around the clock to remove debris before Milton makes landfall.

The governor said that people should make a plan and execute it.

“If you are somebody that is in a very vulnerable part of the west coast of Florida that would be susceptible to storm surge, you certainly can leave now,“ the governor said. ”You don’t have to wait to get an evacuation order.”