Highways grew clogged, gas stations were running out of fuel and stores were stripped of necessities as Hurricane Milton roared toward Florida’s beleaguered west coast on Wednesday, a “catastrophic” behemoth on a collision course with one of the state’s most densely populated areas.
The center of Milton, now a Category 4 storm driving sustained winds of 155 mph, was forecast to move across the eastern Gulf of Mexico and make landfall late Wednesday or early Thursday, the National Hurricane Center said in its 8 a.m. update. The storm was on a track to cut across the Florida Peninsula and head into the Atlantic Ocean later Thursday. Milton was expected to retain hurricane status as it moves across the state.
Milton is targeting Florida less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene blasted ashore on Florida’s Big Bend coast, a Category 4 storm that has left much of Florida battered and vulnerable as Milton looms.
Wind shear was likely to increase over Milton later Wednesday and should cause some weakening, but “Milton is expected to remain an extremely dangerous, major hurricane when it reaches the west-central coast of Florida,” the hurricane center said in its forecast.
Tampa, with a metropolitan area that is home to over 3 million people, has not had a direct hit by a major hurricane in more than 100 years. Storm surge from Milton could drive water levels up to 15 feet above ground, the hurricane center said.
Crazycat
Article URL : https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/10/09/hurricane-milton-live-updates-wednesday-florida-landfall/75579293007/