Category 5 Hurricane Milton tore towards Florida's Gulf Coast on Wednesday, leaving residents less than 24 hours to evacuate. According to weather authorities, the "catastrophic" Category 5 storm is predicted to hit Florida's Tampa area tonight (local time), packing ferocious winds of up to 165mph (270km/h). Presently, Hurricane Milton is located around 300 miles (485 km) southwest of Tampa, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).
More than 1 million people in coastal areas of Florida have been given evacuation orders as it could be the worst storm to hit the region in about a century - with a surge of 10-15ft (3-4.5m) possible, and localised rainfall of up to 1.5ft.
...#MILTON REMAINS A CATASTROPHIC CATEGORY 5 HURRICANE...
— National Hurricane Center (@NWSNHC) October 9, 2024
...FORECAST TO MAKE LANDFALL ON THE FLORIDA GULF COAST LATE TONIGHT AS A DANGEROUS MAJOR HURRICANE...
Follow https://t.co/dv1LkCViaN for the latest advisories. pic.twitter.com/WwlbUEHCyO
Meanwhile, Wesh 2 released a county-wise warning for Florida ahead of Hurricane Milton's landfall. Seminole County and Orange County are likely to get 10"+ rainfall while windspeed is expected to cross 50mph across the state.
Here is the full chart of predicted extremities for different counties of Florida:
Hurricane #Milton Advisory 17: Milton Remains a Catastrophic Category 5 Hurricane. Forecast to Make Landfall On the Florida Gulf Coast Late Tonight as a Dangerous Major Hurricane. https://t.co/tW4KeGe9uJ
— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) October 9, 2024
Seminole County:
Hurricane Warning: Yes
Rainfall: 10-15"+
Winds: 60-70 mph
Maximum Gusts: 75+ mph
Orange County:
Hurricane Warning: Yes
Rainfall: 7-12"+
Winds: 60-70 mph
Maximum Gusts: 80+ mph
Osceola County:
Hurricane Warning: Yes
Rainfall: 6-9"+
Winds: 65-75 mph
Maximum Gusts: 80+ mph
Flagler County:
Hurricane Warning: Storm Surge Warning 3-5'
Rainfall: 5-10"+
Winds: 50-60 mph
Maximum Gusts: 75+ mph
Volusia County:
Hurricane Warning: Storm Surge Warning 3-5'
Rainfall: 10-15"+
Winds: 50-60 mph
Maximum Gusts: 75+ mph
Brevard County:
Hurricane Warning: Storm Surge Warning 3-5'
Rainfall: 4-7"+ (South) 6-10"+ (North)
Winds: 60-70 mph
Maximum Gusts: 80+ mph
Marion County:
Hurricane Warning: Yes
Rainfall: 4-7"+
Winds: 50-60 mph
Maximum Gusts: 75+ mph
Lake County:
Hurricane Warning: Yes
Rainfall: 7-10"+
Winds: 60-70 mph
Maximum Gusts: 80+ mph
Sumter County:
Hurricane Warning: Yes
Rainfall: 7-10"+
Winds: 60-70 mph
Maximum Gusts: 80+
Polk County:
Hurricane Warning: Yes
Rainfall: 6-9"+
Winds: 65-75 mph
Maximum Gusts: 90+ mph
