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 11 a.m. update, the National Hurricane Center said tornadic supercells are beginning to sweep across the southern Florida peninsula, adding, "The time to prepare, including evacuate if told to do so, is quickly coming to an end along the Florida west coast."
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 weaken but remain a major hurricane when it makes landfall late Wednesday or early Thursday. Areas outside of Tampa could see a storm surge of up to 15 feet.
“Milton has the potential to be one of the most destructive hurricanes on record for west-central Florida,” NHC warned.
The center said evacuation efforts and life-saving measures should be rushed to completion.
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As of the latest update, the National Hurricane Center had Milton about 190 miles southwest of Tampa, moving at a speed of 17 mph with maximum sustained winds of 145 mph.
Local
The storm could make landfall Wednesday night in the Tampa Bay area and remain a hurricane as it moves across central Florida toward the Atlantic Ocean. It will likely make initial landfall as a major hurricane.
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
