Tampa, FL – Hurricane Milton has strengthened into a Category 3 storm, boasting sustained winds of 120 mph, and is on track to intensify further before making landfall along Florida’s Gulf Coast. Just two days ahead of the expected impact, state officials have ramped up evacuation orders, warning that Milton could be as destructive—if not more—than Hurricane Helene, which struck the state less than two weeks ago.
Milton is forecast to become a Category 4 hurricane by Tuesday and will likely make landfall Wednesday evening as a powerful Category 3 storm with winds exceeding 120 mph. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) expects the storm to strike between Cedar Key and Naples, directly affecting the Tampa Bay area. The storm is moving at 8 mph and was located about 750 miles west-southwest of Tampa as of Monday morning.
Evacuations are underway in several coastal areas as local governments brace for significant storm surges and widespread power outages. The Florida Division of Emergency Management is preparing for the largest exodus since Hurricane Irma in 2017. “I urge Floridians to finalize their storm preparations now and follow evacuation orders. This is a serious, life-threatening storm,” said Kevin Guthrie, director of the Division, during a Sunday press conference.
Gov. Ron DeSantis has declared a state of emergency for 51 counties, expanding from 35 initially. Cities such as Miami, Orlando, and Tampa could see 2 to 8 inches of rain through Thursday, with some areas expected to receive over 15 inches.
Florida is still reeling from the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene, which struck the Big Bend region on September 26 as a Category 4 storm, leaving a trail of catastrophic flooding and killing over 230 people across the Southeast. Many communities are still in recovery mode, exacerbating the urgency for swift preparation ahead of Hurricane Milton.
