Hours left until Milton's landfall as Floridians race to evacuate ahead of storm
Many Floridians are taking the warnings of 15-foot storm surge seriously and evacuating. The Florida Department of Transportation opened the shoulders on Interstate 4 and Interstate 75 going north to help speed up evacuations.
Florida emergency teams helping prepare for Milton's dangerous impacts
Mike Eddins, with the Florida State Emergency Response Team, speaks with FOX Weather's Robert Ray about the response after Hurricane Helene and now the preparations for Hurricane Milton ahead of landfall.
TAMPA – Hurricane Milton is forecast to remain a major hurricane before making landfall on Florida's Gulf Coast late Wednesday night.
Florida emergency management officials have executed a large-scale evacuation across the Sunshine State not seen in seven years. Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for a majority of Florida's 67 counties, and hundreds of ambulances are on standby.
The Florida National Guard has mobilized 5,000 troops to assist with the response, with an additional 3,000 expected to be deployed before the storm makes landfall.
Traffic is heavy as thousands evacuate ahead of Hurricane Milton as it churns in the Gulf of Mexico on October 07, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Florida.
(Spencer Platt / Getty Images)
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) forecasts Milton to make landfall near or south of the Tampa metro as a major hurricane (Category 3 or higher). The latest track shows Milton barreling over Florida's highly populated Interstate 4 corridor and Interstate 75, which includes Tampa, Orlando, Fort Myers and Sarasota.
The storm surge forecast for Tampa Bay is between 10 and 15 feet if the peak surge coincides with high tide. Wind gusts could reach up to 100 mph.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told FOX Weather that many residents are "erring on the side of caution" with Milton.
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"What you don't want to do is stay in an area where you have 10, 15 feet of storm surge," DeSantis said. "I can tell you, being in the Big Bend, where they had 15 to 20 feet, we were there a year prior with (Hurricane) Idalia, which was a major hurricane. Some of the homes that made it through Idalia without a scratch, with Helene, with that storm surge, they were obliterated. They were just studs, concrete and studs. So don't mess with that."
A resident boards up his windows in Palm Harbor, Florida, ahead of Hurricane Milton's expected mid-week landfall on October 6, 2024.
(BRYAN R. SMITH/AFP via Getty Images)
Hurricane Ian caused deadly devastation and a storm surge in 2022 across parts of Southwest Florida. A local state of emergency is in effect for Lee County, an area that suffered major impacts from Ian.
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Florida Division of Emergency Management Executive Director Kevin Guthrie encouraged residents and visitors to heed the warning if told to leave.
"I urge Floridians to finalize your storm preparations now; enact your plan. I highly encourage you to evacuate," Guthrie said. "We are preparing, and I have the State Emergency Response Team preparing, for the largest evacuation that we have seen most likely since 2017 Hurricane Irma."
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Evacuations underway with landfall expected Wednesday night
Florida is no stranger to the dangers of a tropical system, and like a tired but well-oiled machine, the gears are in motion to prepare residents ahead of Milton's arrival.
Sandbag distribution sites began opening across Southwest and Central Florida over the weekend, and evacuation orders have been issued for some barrier islands on the west coast.
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Customers check mostly empty bread shelves at a shopping warehouse in Kissimmee, Florida on October 6, 2024.
(GREGG NEWTON/AFP via Getty Images)
More evacuation orders took effect Monday, giving residents plenty of time to leave ahead of Wednesday's forecast landfall. However, those in flood-prone areas, manufactured homes and RV parks are asked to consider making plans to leave before they are ordered to do so.
A mandatory evacuation order was issued for Anna Maria Island at noon on Monday. Pinellas County issued mandatory evacuation orders for all residents in evacuation zones A, B and C and all mobile homes.
Floridians were heeding the warnings on Monday.
Tampa resident Garrett Adams saw 90% of the homes in his neighborhood suffer major damage from Helene. After the forecast for Milton showed a storm surge above 10 feet in Tampa, he decided to leave.
"It being a Cat 5 right now and watching this and seeing it approaching as a Cat 4 to Tampa, it just it's terrifying," he said. "If a 12-foot storm surge happens, like my house is completely gone."
Traffic on Interstate 75 in Pasco County and on Interstate 4 in Central Florida was backed up for miles.
The Florida Department of Transportation opened the shoulders on Interstate 4 and Interstate 75 going north to help speed up evacuations. Active construction projects within the projected path of the storm have also been suspended.
"We're also stressing that you don't have to evacuate hundreds of miles. Every county will have shelters available," DeSantis said. "The hotels are offering distress rates, many of them for Florida residents who are evacuating."
Florida's Evacuation Zone map can be found by clicking the link here, and a list of evacuation orders can be found by clicking here. Many areas in Florida's Big Bend region, where Hurricane Helene made landfall, are still listed under evacuation. However, orders for Milton are beginning to file in on Sunday as the forecast comes together.
School districts along the Southwest Coast, including Pinellas, Hillsborough, Pasco, Sarasota and Manatee counties, announced closure plans this week. A full list of school closures can be found here.
Effective 9 a.m. Tuesday, Tampa International Airport suspended all flight operations. The facility will remain closed until it is safe to resume operations, airport officials said. On Wednesday morning, Orlando International Airport will suspend commercial passenger and private operations.
Orange County, where Orlando, Disney World and Universal Orlando theme parks are located, has set up sandbag destruction sites, which will begin operating on Monday. Also, in Central Florida, Osceola and Marion County school districts will be closed to students and staff on Wednesday.
The University of Central Florida in Orlando will suspend campus operations on Tuesday and remain closed through Thursday. All University of South Florida campuses in the Tampa Bay area will close on Monday, and classes are canceled through Wednesday.
According to the National Hurricane Center, Milton is expected to remain a dangerous major hurricane early this week. The hurricane is forecast to bring a life-threatening storm surge, damaging winds and flooding rain to Florida.
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Florida theme parks close for Milton
On rare occasions, Florida's major theme parks will close because of tropical weather. With the current forecast placing rain and wind impacts from Milton over the Interstate 4 corridor by midweek, theme park officials have announced closures beginning Wednesday.
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FILE PHOTO: Cast members squeegee the stage in front of Cinderella Castle as rain bands pass through the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, on Aug. 30, 2023.
(Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service / Getty Images)
Walt Disney World Resort and Universal Orlando will begin phased closures on Wednesday afternoon. Legoland Florida in Winter Haven will close on Wednesday and Thursday.