Update (1315ET):
Milton is about 500 miles southwest of Tampa and is expected to make landfall late Wednesday as a Category 3 storm on Florida’s Gulf Coast. The storm was downgraded from a Cat. 5 overnight to a Cat. 4 on Tuesday morning.
“If the storm stays on the current track, it will be the worst storm to impact the Tampa area in over 100 years,” the National Weather Service in Tampa warned, adding, “Milton continues to pose a potentially catastrophic threat to parts of the west Florida coast.”
Milton has strengthened with max sustained winds of 150 mph. It is considered a strong Category 4 hurricane. It will make landfall as a major hurricane late Wednesday near Tampa. It is located over 500 miles southwest of Tampa. #wfaaweather
Latest track: pic.twitter.com/gQEoMFz08z
— Pete Delkus (@wfaaweather) October 8, 2024
Milton is forecasted to produce higher storm surges across the Tampa area than Hurricane Helene just weeks ago.
10/8 7am CDT: A large area of destructive storm surge from #Milton will occur along parts of the west coast of Florida on Wednesday. This is extremely life-threatening & residents should follow advice given by local officials including evacuation orders. pic.twitter.com/OCcqaLnLDg
— NHC Storm Surge (@NHC_Surge) October 8, 2024
President Biden told reporters that Milton could be “the worst storm to hit Florida in over a century.”
President Biden: “I’m cancelling my trip to Germany and Africa…we’re going to stay focused on what’s ahead of us right now…Hurricane Milton could be one of the worst storms in 100 years…” pic.twitter.com/csR5TVcAau
— CSPAN (@cspan) October 8, 2024
International Space Station just orbited above Milton.
The International Space Station just orbited above Hurricane Milton as it is re-intensifying over the southern Gulf of Mexico.
Spectacular view from space. pic.twitter.com/F331bGWfwJ
— Nahel Belgherze (@WxNB_) October 8, 2024
Timelapse flying by Hurricane Milton about 2 hours ago.
1/6400 sec exposure, 14mm, ISO 500, 0.5 sec interval, 30fps pic.twitter.com/p5wBlC95mx
— Matthew Dominick (@dominickmatthew) October 8, 2024
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told residents today that “time is running out” to leave the area as the biggest evacuation effort in the state since 2017 has been underway for days.
“Basically, the entire peninsula portion of Florida is under some type of either a watch or a warning,” DeSantis told reporters in his morning storm briefing,” adding, “You have time today. Time is running out. But you do have time today to heed any evacuation orders and do what you need to do to protect yourself and our families.”
Whoa.
Hurricane Milton will become a category 5 before the end of the day.
This is going to be disastrous for the west coast of Florida even if the intensity drops just before landfall.
Hurricanes have rarely directly impacted Tampa Bay from the west, but it did happen in 1848. pic.twitter.com/QyqESF2yEi
— James Bryant (@KATVJames) October 7, 2024
* * *
Milton weakened overnight to a Category 4 hurricane. The storm is an “extremely dangerous” threat as it churns near the Yucatan Peninsula, barreling toward Florida’s Gulf Coast this AM, with landfall impacts expected on Wednseday night or early Thursday morning.
According to the National Hurricane Center’s 0500 ET update, Milton was downgraded from a Cat. 5 to Cat. 4, with maximum winds up to 155 mph while traversing the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico at 12 mph with an east-northeast heading.
The latest storm data shows Milton is completing an eyewall replacement cycle. This means the strongest winds extend further out from the center as the eye grows in size.
Hurricane Milton has weakened by 30 mb over the last 5 hours due to eye wall replacement. Wow. pic.twitter.com/mQKqvfIwqM
— Max Velocity (@MaxVelocityWX) October 8, 2024
The Weather Channel’s Jim Cantore warned on X, “Focus on the surge NOT the category!”
Focus on the surge NOT the category! https://t.co/0nf1ZCtLwD
— Jim Cantore (@JimCantore) October 8, 2024
NHC’s peak storm surge forecast shows Milton could generate a wall of water as high as 15 feet across Tampa Bay, Sarasota, and Venice.
Computer models are shifting south with landfall impacts from Sarasota to Port Charlotte instead of the initial forecasts for Tampa.
#Milton – southward trends in the overnight ECMWF guidance…
The ensemble system has exhibited a southerly trend overnight, bringing the most likely track (black line) closer to Sarasota – this would expose Sarasota and Port Charlotte to the worst of the storm surge.
There’s… pic.twitter.com/QPdYmnN0WD
— Ben Noll (@BenNollWeather) October 8, 2024
More trajectory models.
On Sunday, Florida launched the largest evacuation since Hurricane Irma in 2017. Hurricane warnings have been posted for the region.
Tyler Durden
Tue, 10/08/2024 – 13:15
