Hurricane Milton remains a ferocious storm that could land a once-in-a-century direct hit on Tampa and St. Petersburg, engulfing the populous region with towering storm surges and turning debris from Helene’s devastation 12 days ago into projectiles.
While the storm had previously weakened, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said Tuesday that Hurricane Milton was once again a Category 5 storm.
Here’s the latest:
MIAMI — Hurricane Milton’s wind speeds have slightly decreased, but it remains a Category 5 storm, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center’s most recent advisory.
The storm has maximum sustained wind speeds of 160 mph (260 kph). As of 11 p.m. EDT Tuesday, it was 405 miles (650 kilometers) southwest of Tampa, Florida. It has picked up lateral speed, moving toward Florida at 12 mph (19 kph), and the hurricane center said it was expected to travel more quickly overnight into Wednesday.
Milton was expected to make landfall late Wednesday night on Florida’s west coast near Tampa, but forecasters said “it is critical to remember that even at 24 hours out, it is still not possible to pinpoint an an exact landfall location.”
Forecasters with the National Hurricane Center urged residents to evacuate or make other preparations by the end of Tuesday.
“Milton has the potential to be one of the most destructive hurricanes on record for west-central Florida,” the hurricane center said.
CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Fla. — Charlotte County on Tuesday evening extended its Hurricane Milton evacuation order further inland to what it refers to as “Zone C Yellow.”
The additional evacuation zone in the county southeast of Sarasota includes residents in any zone who live in mobile or manufactured homes. That’s about 11% of the more than 202,600 people who live in the county, according to population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.
MIAMI — Hurricane Milton remained on course Tuesday evening for Florida’s west coast, traveling northeast across the Gulf of Mexico at about 10 mph (17 kph), according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center’s latest advisory.
As of 8 p.m. EDT, the storm was 440 miles (710 kilometers) southwest of Tampa. Its maximum sustained windspeeds were 165 mph (270 kph), making it a Category 5 hurricane still.
“Fluctuations in intensity are likely while Milton moves across the eastern Gulf of Mexico, but Milton is expected to be a dangerous major hurricane when it reaches the west-central coast of Florida Wednesday night,” the hurricane center said.
Storm surge and hurricane warnings on Florida’s west and east coasts remained in effect.
WASHINGTON — The rumors surrounding Hurricane Helene are many.
There are false claims that people taking federal relief money could see their land seized. Or that $750 is the most they will ever get to rebuild. Or that the agency’s director — on the ground since the storm hit — was beaten up and hospitalized.
As the U.S. agency tasked with responding to disasters, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has been fighting misinformation since Helene slammed into Florida nearly two weeks ago and brought a wide swath of destruction as it headed north.
The false claims are being fueled by former President Donald Trump and others just ahead of the presidential election, and are coming as the agency is gearing up to respond to a second major disaster: Hurricane Milton.
FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell told reporters Tuesday that she has never seen the disinformation problem as bad as it’s been with Helene, which hit hard in North Carolina, a state key to winning the election.
TAMPA, Fla. — Hospitals and other health care facilities on Florida’s Gulf Coast — still reeling from Hurricane Helene — are now revving up for Hurricane Milton.
Long-term care facilities in counties where mandatory evacuations have been issued are taking their patients elsewhere, while hospitals are largely on guard, preparing to stay open through the storm.
According to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ website, 10 hospitals have reported evacuations as of Tuesday afternoon, and 300 health care facilities including nursing homes and assisted living facilities have evacuated as of this morning, said Florida Agency for Health Care Administration deputy secretary Kim Smoak.
Steve McCoy, chief of the Florida Department of Health’s Bureau of Emergency Medical Oversight, said it is the state’s “largest evacuation ever.”
MIAMI — Hurricane Milton’s forecasted trajectory wobbled slightly Tuesday, which means it could make landfall Wednesday a bit south of Tampa Bay, according to the most recent forecast discussion from the U.S. National Hurricane Center.