Hurricane Milton regained Category 5 status Tuesday afternoon with sustained winds of 165mph, as it continues to draw energy from warm ocean waters in the Gulf of Mexico.
Eleven million people are under a hurricane warning as Hurricane Milton barrels toward Florida.
At its peak on Monday, Milton was a Category 5 storm with winds up to 185 mph. It briefly weakened on Tuesday into a Category 4 storm while its central structure reorganized.
Hurricane Milton began to curve away from Mexico and head toward Florida on Tuesday. It's forecast to make landfall in the Tampa area late Wednesday or early Thursday.
430pm CDT Oct 8th -- Observations from the Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunters (@53rdWRS) confirm that #Hurricane #Milton is a Category 5 hurricane with max sustained winds of 165 mph. The minimum central pressure was down to 905 mb (26.72 inches).
— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) October 8, 2024
TCU: https://t.co/QFMVE0t85y pic.twitter.com/fYUsyunaGa
Evacuations
Evacuation orders have been issued for people up and down Florida's Gulf Coast. Local officials warn that people in evacuation zones who do not leave may not survive.
"Don't gamble with you and your loved one's life. Make the preparations, find a hotel, find a family member, stay at a friend's house," said Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister. "Worst case scenario, stay at a shelter. There's plenty of them open, but you're better off being inconvenienced and uncomfortable, yet alive."
How intense will Milton be?
Hurricane Milton is projected to be a Category 3 storm when it reaches the coast as dry air and wind shear will cause its structure to deteriorate.
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However, forecasters are concerned that the storm will become larger, affecting many people across Florida. As of Tuesday, tropical storm-force winds extended 105 miles from the center. The National Hurricane Center expects that number to double by the time it makes landfall.
A larger storm will likely also mean a high storm surge. Forecasters say a water rise of 10-15 feet is possible in Tampa Bay as Milton approaches.
"Milton has the potential to be one of the most destructive hurricanes on record for west-central Florida," the National Hurricane Center said early Tuesday.
The storm is expected to quickly make its way across central Florida on Thursday, potentially hitting the Orlando area as a Category 2 storm.
Government response
On Monday, President Joe Biden and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis talked with each other about coordinating state and federal relief efforts. DeSantis' office said that the Florida Division of Emergency Management is using Tropicana Field, home of the MLB's Rays, as a staging area for up to 10,000 relief workers.
President Biden also approved Florida's request for an emergency declaration.
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The Biden administration said on Monday that the Federal Emergency Management Agency has "sufficient funding to both support the response to Hurricane Milton and continue to support the response to Hurricane Helene."
FEMA has 20 million meals and 40 million liters of water prepositioned.
