Hurricane Milton live updates: Thousands evacuate as Florida braces for monster Category 5 storm
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and state officials pleaded with residents to evacuate ahead of Wednesday’s projected landfall
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Milton restrengthened into a Category 5 hurricane late Tuesday afternoon as it moved toward western Florida.
As of Tuesday evening, the massive storm was sustaining winds near 165 mph with higher gusts. The National Hurricane Center anticipates Milton to be “a dangerous major hurricane” when it’s expected to make landfall on Wednesday night on the west coast of Florida.
Governor Ron DeSantis warned Floridians that “time is running out” for them to evacuate.
“You may have a window where it may be safe, but you may not,” he said. “So, use today as your day to finalize and execute the plan that is going to protect you and your family.”
His warning comes after Tampa Mayor Jane Castor told CNN on Monday that residents will die if they don’t evacuate as Milton races towards the state’s west coast.
Hurricane Helene, which recently devastated parts of the state, was a “wake-up call,” she said. Milton could be “literally catastrophic,” Castor added.
Milton will bring “life-threatening storm surge and winds” to parts of the Florida Gulf Coast, the National Hurricane Center predicted on Tuesday.
President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration on Monday after pledging “life-saving resources in advance of the storm,” the day prior.
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Hurricane Milton’s rapid intensification to a Category 5 storm has shocked forecasters, but it is just the latest in a series of storms so extreme that the current hurricane scale may no longer fully capture their severity.
The potential “once in a lifetime” storm rapidly intensified from a Category 1 to a Category 5 hurricane in a matter of a few hours.
The National Hurricane Center has warned that Milton may gain more strength and grow in size, posing “even more danger” as it looks to make landfall in Florida by Wednesday evening, slamming into the densely populated Tampa Bay.
Stuti Mishra has more.
Can Hurricane Milton become a ‘Category 6’ storm – which doesn’t yet exist?
Further rise in global temperatures could lead to more extreme storms like Helene and Milton and create the need for adding another category, researchers say
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis warns residents that ‘time is running out’ to evacuate
Gov. Ron DeSantis told Florida residents on Tuesday that “time is running out” ahead of Hurricane Milton.
“There’s no guarantee what the weather’s going to be like starting Wednesday morning,” he said during a press conference.
“You may have a window where it may be safe, but you may not,” he added. “So use today as your day to finalize and execute the plan that is going to protect you and your family.”
K-12 schools closed across 43 Florida counties ahead of Hurricane Milton making landfall
K-12 schools across 43 of Florida’s 46 counties are set to close on Wednesday, in anticipation of Hurricane Milton making landfall on the state’s west coast.
Ten of those schools are expected to reopen on Thursday after the storm slams into Tampa on Wednesday night. Others remain closed for the rest f the week.
“The Florida Department of Education works closely with school districts before, during and after natural disasters to ensure they have the resources necessary to resume normal operations as quickly as possible. We will continue collaborating with district leadership to address questions as they arise,” a statement reads on the Florida Department of Education’s website.
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Holmes Beach Police Chief Tokajer: Milton will be a ‘punch in the gut'
William Tokajer, the chief of police in Holmes Beach, said Tuesday that rapidly-approaching Hurricane Milton is going to be a “punch in the gut” for his community.
"This is devastating," he told FOX 13 Tampa. "It’s a punch in the gut for everybody out here that has been working so hard to rehab their houses and to get them ready so they can do reconstruction."
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Utilities warn Florida residents of power outages that could affect millions
TECO, Duke and Florida Power and Light said they have no doubt that at least some of their 2.3 million customers in the Tampa Bay area will lose power, according to FOX 13 Tampa.
“Customers should expect to have widespread and extended outages,” said Mary Lou Carn of TECO.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis warns residents now is the time to heed evacuation warnings
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