Hurricane Milton churned Wednesday toward a potentially catastrophic collision along the west coast of Florida, where millions were ordered to flee and officials warned that stragglers would face grim odds of surviving.
In its 2 p.m. update, the National Hurricane Center said Milton was growing in size as it approached the coast. Life-threatening storm surge, damaging winds and flooding rains are expected across portions of central and southwestern Florida. A tornado watch blankets the southern part of the state.
While Milton, still a category 4 hurricane, isn't expected to have much impact at all on the tri-state area, much of Florida's heavily populated cities, including Tampa and Orlando, are directly in the path of the storm — home to many family, friends and loved ones for those in the New York City area.
The Tampa Bay area, home to more than 3.3 million people, faced the possibility of widespread destruction after avoiding direct hits from major hurricanes for more than a century. The National Hurricane Center predicted Milton, a category 5 hurricane during much of its approach, would likely remain a major hurricane when it makes landfall late Wednesday or early Thursday. Areas just outside of Tampa could see a storm surge of up to 15 feet.
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“Milton has the potential to be one of the most destructive hurricanes on record for west-central Florida,” NHC warned.
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The National Hurricane Center stressed that it was not certain exactly where Milton’s center would come ashore Wednesday night because the storm's path might “wobble,” but that the entire Tampa Bay region and points south were at grave risk.
“This is it, folks,” said Cathie Perkins, emergency management director in Pinellas County, which sits on the peninsula that forms Tampa Bay. “Those of you who were punched during Hurricane Helene, this is going to be a knockout. You need to get out, and you need to get out now.”
As of the latest update, the National Hurricane Center had Milton about 150 miles southwest of Tampa, moving at a speed of 16 mph with maximum sustained winds of 130 mph.
Heavy rain and tornadoes lashed parts of southern Florida starting Wednesday morning, with conditions deteriorating as the day progressed. Six to 12 inches of rain, with up to 18 inches in some places, was expected well inland, bringing the risk of catastrophic flooding. Tornadoes were also a threat; one touched down Wednesday morning in the lightly populated Everglades area of South Florida and crossed Interstate 75.
Here's a look at the latest cone and potential weather hazards from NHC:
5-day cone: What is Milton's path?
Peak storm surge forecast
Rainfall potential
Flash flooding potential
Wind speed probabilities
Tornado threat
