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2 months ago
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Hurricane Milton has started to impact Florida, with the full force of the historic storm set to hit Tampa Bay later tonight.
The once-in-a-century weather event's winds have begun to hit Florida's Gulf Coast. Milton is a Category 5 hurricane with winds of 160mph, according to a 5am National Hurricane Center update.
It sits around 300 miles off the coast of Tampa and is moving towards the city at around 14 miles an hour.
Forecasters expect Milton to make landfall as a Category 4 hurricane with winds of 130mph.
The greatest danger is posed by the wall of water, known as a storm surge, that Milton will whip up. That could see up to 15 feet of water inundate Tampa Bay. Residents have been warned to evacuate, with the city's airport closed yesterday.
When is Milton expected to hit Florida?
- Hurricane Milton was upgraded back to a Category 5 storm as it churns toward Florida’s west coast.
- The Tampa Bay area, home to more than 3.3 million people, faced the possibility of widespread destruction after avoiding direct hits from major hurricanes for more than a century.
- Milton is expected to make landfall in Florida Wednesday night or early Thursday as an 'extremely dangerous hurricane.'
- The latest models show Milton hitting Tampa at 1am Thursday.
Terrifying official graphic shows just how destructive Milton's storm surge will be
- Pinellas County officials have warned that the storm surge in some areas could submerge entire homes.
- They have said homes can be removed from their foundations and warned people in the danger zone that they are not likely to survive the storm surge.
Nowhere in Tampa Bay is safe from flooding, forecaster warns
- Officials have warned that even places that are inland face massive flooding due persistent rainfall between 12 and 16 inches in the Tampa area.
- The heaviest rains are expected to fall between 9am and 5am and could lead to catastrophic flooding.
- The rainfall is expected south if the I-4 corridor and includes Orlando, as reported by The New York Times.
Mass evacuations as Milton approaches Florida's West coast
- At least 11 Florida counties, home to about 5.9 million people, are under mandatory evacuation orders.
- The National Hurricane Center predicted Milton, a Category 5 hurricane during much of its approach, would likely weaken but remain a major hurricane when it makes landfall late Wednesday or early Thursday.
Heavy cloud and thunderstorms in Tampa Bay as Milton draws closer
A thunderstorm and dark gray clouds were seen over Tampa Bay on Tuesday evening, as Milton moves closer to the area.
The sun-soaked city sees regular storms. But its position in the Gulf of Mexico usually protects it from Hurricanes, which tend to form in the Atlantic Ocean.
Milton is set to be the worst hurricane to hit Tampa since 1921. Parts of the area were flooded by Hurricane Helene two weeks ago, with 12 locals dying.
But Helene quickly moved north, where it caused most devastation in North Carolina and Tennessee, flooding valleys and wiping entire towns off the map.
More than 230 were killed by Helene, with its death toll expected to rise.
Milton is expected to cause far more extreme weather - including a fifteen foot wall of water known as a storm surge.
Tampa Bay residents in the path of the storm have been given days to evacuate, but some have chosen to remain behind.
Tampa residents warned of flesh-eating bacteria
Florida residents have been warned to avoid Milton's floodwaters where possible over the risk of deadly flesh-eating bacteria.
The state's health department says Milton's storm surge will contain increased levels of Vibrio bacteria.
It can infect people with open wounds, or those who have compromised immune systems or liver disease.
Diabetes sufferers and those with cancer are also more vulnerable to Vibrio infections.
Heavy rainfall and flooding like that expected to happen during Milton increases the concentration of Vibrio in the water.
Milton's winds are starting to hit Florida's shores. The eye of the storm should strike the Tampa Bay area in the early hours of Thursday as a Category 4 hurricane.
Vibrio bacteria are pictured under a microscope. The flesh-eating bacteria will be present in higher quantities in Milton's floodwaters, health officials have warned
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