What to know about Hurricane Milton as it closes in on Florida

Hurricane Milton is heading toward Florida and is expected to cause significant destruction to the west coast, including the Tampa-St. Petersburg area, and Central Florida. Here’s what you need to know about the storm:
The hurricane is expected to hit the Florida coast overnight Wednesday, according to forecasts from the National Hurricane Center. It is projected to make landfall in the Tampa Bay area, which has not endured a direct strike by a major hurricane in more than a century. The storm is forecast to continue traveling directly across the Florida peninsula before heading out to the Atlantic Ocean.
Milton rapidly intensified, going from a tropical storm to a Category 5 hurricane in just under 48 hours. Storms are assigned a “category” rating on a scale of 1-5 based on the wind speed of the system.
Wind speeds had slowed some Tuesday morning, dropping the system back down to a Category 4, but had started to pick back up as of the hurricane center’s 10 a.m. briefing.
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“While fluctuations in intensity are expected, Milton is forecast to remain an extremely dangerous hurricane through landfall in Florida,” the advisory read.
The system is also expected to bring with it significant flooding. The hurricane center projects 10-15 feet storm surges along the Florida peninsula’s western coast between the Anclote River and Englewood.
Nearly every county on the Florida peninsula’s western coast is under a mandatory evacuation order, according to the Florida Division of Emergency Management. Data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows the 11 counties are home to about 5.9 million people.
Yes, Hurricane Helene made landfall on Sept. 26 in the Big Bend area of the Florida Gulf Coast as a Category 4 storm. Helene moved north and had some of its biggest impact across the southern Appalachians, where widespread flooding resulted in hundreds of fatalities.
Just under two weeks later, Florida is expected to get hit again.
The remaining debris from Helene poses a significant threat during Milton, as it could get picked up by the wind and become flying projectiles if not collected before Milton makes landfall.
Hurricane season traditionally runs June 1 – Nov. 30 each year.
The 2024 hurricane season was projected to be more active than normal by the National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration earlier this year. It kicked off strong with Hurricane Beryl, a Category 5 storm, hitting Houston in early July. The season then fell relatively quiet during late August and early September, the traditional peak season for hurricanes.
Things began to pick back up with Hurricane Francine, a Category 2 storm hitting the Louisiana coast Sept. 11 and Helene making landfall in Florida Sept. 26. There have been five other named storm systems as well in the last month outside of Francine, Helene and Milton that did not make landfall.