Maps show track of Hurricane Milton as forecasters predict landfall in Florida this week
Hurricane Milton surged back up to a Category 5 on Tuesday afternoon, with forecasts showing it on a path to hit Florida's west-central Gulf Coast late Wednesday or very early Thursday morning. The storm had maximum sustained winds of 165 mph, and was moving to the east-northeast at 10 mph, the National Hurricane Center said.
"This is an extremely life-threatening situation & residents should follow advice given by local officials & evacuate immediately if told to do so," the hurricane center warned.
Milton first reached Category 5 strength Monday with sustained wind speeds as high as 180 mph, in a rapid intensification the hurricane center called "remarkable." The storm later dipped back to Category 4 before restrengthening. The NHC said Tuesday that it is "forecast to retain major hurricane status and expand in size" as it approaches Florida.
CBS News meteorologist Nikki Nolan said Milton is forecast to make landfall over Sarasota, Florida, sometime overnight Wednesday into Thursday.
"While fluctuations in intensity are expected, Milton is forecast to remain an extremely dangerous hurricane through landfall in Florida," the hurricane center said.
Forecasters warned the storm would remain extremely dangerous as it approaches the west coast of Florida, causing destructive and potentially life-threatening storm surge along a large stretch of the coastline in addition to "devastating" hurricane-force winds.
It is forecast to remain a hurricane as it crosses over central Florida, drenching a large part of a state still reeling from Hurricane Helene.
Path of Hurricane Milton
Maps from the National Hurricane Center show Milton bearing down on Florida's west coast as a major hurricane.
As of 8 p.m. Eastern Time Tuesday, Milton was centered 280 miles southwest of the Dry Tortugas, Florida, and 440 miles southwest of Tampa.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday that "the most recent models have it" making landfall "somewhere in Manatee County, just south of Tampa Bay."
The storm was expected to travel north of the Yucatan peninsula through Tuesday, with heavy rainfall expected as Milton makes its way northeast toward Florida.
After making landfall, it was expected to move off Florida's east coast and into the Atlantic Ocean sometime Thursday.
A hurricane warning was in effect Tuesday for the Florida west coast from Bonita Beach north to Suwannee River, including Tampa Bay — as well the state's east coast from the St. Lucie-Martin County line north to Ponte Vedra Beach.
A storm surge warning was in place for Florida's west coast from Flamingo north to Suwannee River, including Charlotte Harbor and Tampa Bay. The hurricane center warned Tuesday that storm surge in the Tampa Bay area could reach 10 to 15 feet above ground level.
A storm surge warning was also in place on a stretch of the East Coast, from Sebastian Inlet, Florida, north to Altamaha Sound, Georgia.
Several tropical storm watches and warnings were also in effect for Florida, Georgia and South Carolina, along with Mexico and the Bahamas.
The National Hurricane Center warned of heavy rainfall of up to 15 inches in portions of the Florida Peninsula through Thursday, which could generate "considerable flash, urban and areal flooding, along with moderate to major river flooding."
Nolan said the heaviest rainfall was expected along Florida's Interstate-4, with anywhere from 6 to 12 inches of rain, and up to 18 inches in some spots.
Florida officials prepare for more impact
DeSantis on Tuesday said residents shouldn't wait any longer to evacuate.
"You should be executing your plan now," DeSantis said in a briefing Tuesday afternoon. "If you're going to get out, get out now. You have time today, time will be running out very shortly if you wait any longer. Of course, there's a lot of mandatory evacs that have been done."
"I highly encourage you to evacuate" if you're in an evacuation zone, said Kevin Guthrie, executive director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management. "We are preparing ... for the largest evacuation that we have seen, most likely since 2017, Hurricane Irma. "
"We're prepared for another horrible hurricane to hit Florida," President Biden, who has postponed a trip to Germany and Angola because of Milton, told reporters during a visit to Milwaukee Tuesday. "I've directed my team to do everything they can to save lives, help communities before, during and after this hurricane."
He advised Floridians to "follow safety instructions, including evacuation orders. You got to be safe because people are dying. People have died so far, not from this hurricane, but from the last one."
Hurricane Milton live radar map
This radar loop from CBS Miami shows weather conditions over Florida and the Gulf of Mexico as Hurricane Milton approaches.