Maps show track of Hurricane Milton as forecasters predict landfall in Florida this week
Hurricane Milton continued tracking eastward as a powerful Category 4 storm early Tuesday, with forecasts showing it on a path to hit Florida's Gulf Coast very early Thursday morning. The storm was moving at 12 miles per hour over warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico and had maximum sustained winds of 145 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.
On Monday, Milton reached Category 5 strength 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.
Forecasters predict Milton will make landfall as a major hurricane around the Tampa Bay area on Wednesday, though they said they expect it to weaken somewhat from its peak before striking land. CBS News meteorologist Nikki Nolan and senior weather producer David Parkinson have both said the storm will likely make landfall as a Category 3 hurricane, meaning sustained wind speeds should fall somewhere between 111 and 129 mph. Their predictions were in line with the hurricane center's latest forecast, which places Milton's winds at around 125 mph near the landfall time.
But forecasters warned the storm would likely grow in size and remain extremely dangerous as it approaches the west coast of Florida Wednesday, causing destructive and potentially life-threatening storm surge along a large stretch of the coastline in addition to "devastating" hurricane-force winds.
"While fluctuations in intensity are expected, Milton is forecast to remain an extremely dangerous hurricane through landfall in Florida," the hurricane center said.
It will drench 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.
The storm is expected to travel north of the Yucatan peninsula through Tuesday, with heavy rainfall expected as Milton makes its way northeast toward Florida. The Mexican government has issued a hurricane warning from Celestun to Rio Largos at the tip of the Yucatan peninsula. Officials on Tuesday morning discontinued all watches previously in effect for places deeper into the peninsula, as Milton continued to track northeastward over the Gulf.
A hurricane warning was issued early Tuesday for the east coast of Florida from the Indian River/St. Lucie County Line northward to Ponte Vedra Beach, along with a storm surge warning from the Volusia/Brevard County Line northward to the mouth of the St. Mary's River, including the St. Johns River.
Those warnings were already in effect for the west coast of Florida, with a hurricane warning in place from Bonita Beach northward to the mouth of the Suwannee River, including Tampa Bay, and a storm surge warning in place from Flamingo northward to the Suwannee River, including Charlotte Harbor and Tampa Bay.
The hurricane center warned Monday that storm surge in the Tampa Bay area could reach 10 to 15 feet above ground level.
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."
Florida officials prepare for more impact
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday urged those in the hurricane's path to heed the warnings of local officials as mass evacuations got underway, including some mandatory evacuations for parts of Tampa Bay.
"Evacuations are underway, and we have suspended tolls and opened roadway shoulders to make it easier for Floridians to get to safety," DeSantis said on social media. "The State of Florida continues to fulfill requests from communities in the potential path of Hurricane Milton as we prepare for landfall. Hundreds of first responders will be embedded in potential impact sites along Florida's west coast to begin search and rescue operations as soon as the storm passes."
The Federal Emergency Management Agency, meanwhile, coordinated with the governor and briefed President Biden Sunday on how it has staged lifesaving resources ahead of the storm.
"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. "
