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Powerful Hurricane Milton is approaching the storm-weary Gulf Coast

Vaseline October 9, 2024

Tampa Bay residents woke up Wednesday to the edge of a nightmare scenario as Hurricane Milton moves closer to the Gulf Coast.

As the potential area for landfall narrows tonight or early Thursday, storm-weary residents are preparing for the worst. The peak can reach up to 15 feet. The power can be out for weeks. Milton’s worst impact could be solved by a small change in trajectory.

A hurricane warning and storm surge warning are in effect in the Tampa Bay region. Pinellas and Pasco counties have issued mandatory evacuations for Zones A, B and C and all mobile and manufactured housing. Hillsborough has ordered evacuations for residents in Zones A and B and for all mobile and manufactured homes.

Tropical storm force winds could reach the area as early as this afternoon. The time to evacuate is running out. Here is a list of shelters in the Tampa Bay area.

View Milton’s forecast route and wind speeds here.

And here’s how to retreat if you’re not in a mandatory evacuation zone.

6:35 a.m. Shelter available, ‘now is the time’ to get to safety, Hillsborough sheriff says

With Hurricane Milton threatening to hit the Gulf Coast at Category 4 strength late tonight or early Thursday, Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister had a simple message at 6:35 a.m.: “If for any reason you need to get to a place of safety, now is the time. ,” the sheriff said in a video on X.

Neighborhood shelters remained available throughout the Tampa Bay area.

Late Tuesday, Pinellas County opened a tenth shelter at Campbell Park Elementary, 1051 7th Ave. S in St. Petersburg. View all open shelters here.

Hillsborough County had nine shelters open. Here’s an interactive map to see which one is closest to you.

Shelters in Pasco County had nearly double the number of evacuees early Wednesday than Tuesday morning. But they still had thousands of available spots. See the county’s evacuation zone locator for more information.

Public transit systems have said they would provide rides to shelters until the storm prevents safe passage.

Pasco also announced that anyone looking for sandbags in public locations should do so before noon. More details here.

—Jeffrey S. Solochek

06:15 Bridge closures expected this afternoon

Residents planning to evacuate or making last-minute preparations should note that major bridges in the region are expected to be closed later today if conditions become dangerous.

The Howard Frankland and Gandy bridges, plus the Courtney Campbell Causeway, close as waves from Tampa Bay begin to crash onto the roadway and become dangerous for motorists. The Sunshine Skyway Bridge closes once winds reach 45 miles per hour.

These conditions are expected this afternoon before Milton makes landfall, authorities said.

5am Milton a ‘catastrophic’ Category 5 storm

Milton was a “catastrophic” Category 5 storm with maximum sustained winds of 160 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center advisory at 5 a.m.

The storm was located about 300 miles (480 kilometers) southwest of Tampa and is expected to make landfall late tonight or early Thursday as a “dangerous” major hurricane that will bring “devastating” hurricane-force winds to parts of the Gulf Coast.

The Tampa Bay area remains in a cone of uncertainty. The maximum storm surge forecast for the region remains a maximum of 15 feet.

“If you are in the storm surge warning area, this is an extremely life-threatening situation and you should evacuate as quickly as possible if ordered by local officials,” forecasters wrote.

Although the advisory shows that the storm making landfall near Sarasota is a Category 4 storm with sustained winds of about 130 miles per hour, forecasters cautioned not to focus on the exact point of landfall because the mean error 24 hours later is approximately 64 kilometers. And the storm’s significant impacts extend far beyond the center.

Milton is expected to remain a hurricane as it cuts through the peninsula, bringing “life-threatening conditions” to inland areas, especially with gusty winds.

Heavy rainfall through Thursday brings the risk of “catastrophic and life-threatening” flash flooding, with moderate to major river flooding as the storm moves east.

“An area of heavy rainfall will begin to spread across portions of southwestern and west-central Florida ahead of Milton, and weather conditions will steadily deteriorate throughout the day across portions of Florida’s Gulf Coast,” the advisory said.