Hurricane Milton Live Updates: Storm Now A Category 5 En Route To Florida

Topline

Hurricane Milton has become a Category 5 storm—again—as it continues to move across the Gulf of Mexico toward Florida, where millions have been told to evacuate as forecasters warn it could be be “one of the most destructive hurricanes on record” for the west-central part of the state.

Key Facts

5 p.m. EDT, Oct. 8 — Milton had maximum sustained winds of 165 mph as of the National Hurricane Center’s latest update, an uptick from earlier in the day that pushed it to be re-characterized as a Category 5 storm.

The storm is about 480 miles west-southwest of Tampa and forecasters said Milton is expected to retain its major hurricane status and expand in size before hitting the west coast of Florida by Wednesday evening.

A hurricane warning is in effect for the west coast of Florida from Flamingo at the southern tip of the state to the near the panhandle, including Charlotte Harbor and Tampa Bay, and for the east coast from the St. Lucie/Martin County Line northward to Ponte Vedra Beach near Jacksonville.

A Tropical Storm Warning along the East Coast has been extended northward to Altamaha Sound, Georgia.

A storm surge warning has been extended southward to Sebastian Inlet, just southwest of Orlando, and northward to Altamaha Sound, Georgia.

Hurricane watches are in effect for the Florida Gulf Coast for Lake Okeechobee, about 40 miles inland from West Palm Beach, and from Chokoloskee, about 90 miles south of Fort Meyers, to south of Bonita Beach, as well as for the Florida east coast from the St. Lucie/Martin county line to the Palm Beach/Martin county line.

8 a.m., Oct. 8 — Hurricane Milton is expected to bring 5 to 12 inches of rain, with localized totals up to 18 inches, across parts of the Florida Peninsula and the Keys through Wednesday night, which could cause "life-threatening flash, urban and areal flooding," according to the NHC.

Milton was downgraded from a Category 5 to Category 4 storm Tuesday morning after sustained wind speeds fell below 157 mph, but rebounded later in the day.

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What Have Politicians Said About Hurricane Milton?

President Joe Biden addressed the country from the White House Tuesday morning and called Hurricane Milton “a matter of life and death." He encouraged Florida residents in the path of the storm to evacuate "now” and postponed a planned international trip to Germany and Angola "in order to oversee preparations for and the response to Hurricane Milton." Vice President Kamala Harris and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis have been in a strange he-said-she-said about the incoming storm, with Harris accusing DeSantis of not taking her calls and “playing political games” Desanis said Harris "has no role in this" and that he's been communicating just fine with Biden, who also said he has been in touch. Biden said he gave DeSantis his personal phone number and told him to call if there is anything the federal government can do to help. Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said in an interview with CNN, "I can say without any dramatization whatsoever: If you choose to stay in one of those evacuation areas, you’re going to die."

How Is Travel To Florida Impacted By Hurricane Milton?

Tampa International Airport closed at 9 a.m. Tuesday with plans to reopen "as soon as it is safe" later this week and Orlando International Airport will close at 8 a.m. Wednesday. Almost 1,000 flights into and out of the United States were delayed as of Tuesday afternoon with another 700 canceled. More than 1,500 flights scheduled for Wednesday have been canceled, Reuters reported, and major airlines have told passengers they can change their plans without paying a fare difference. Walt Disney World Resort was open and running as usual Tuesday, and the company said it is monitoring the weather and will make adjustments as needed. Universal Resort Orlando announced Tuesday afternoon it will close at 2 p.m. EDT Wednesday and remain closed Thursday. Legoland Florida Resort and SeaWorld Orlando will both be closed on Wednesday and Thursday, and Busch Gardens Tampa is now closed through Thursday.

Key Background

Milton will be the second major hurricane to hit Florida in two weeks. Hurricane Helene hit the state on Sept. 26, killing at least 20 in Florida, before going on to devastate parts of the southeastern United States. More than 220 people have died and hundreds more are still missing, with western North Carolina taking the brunt of flooding that the state’s governor says wiped communities “off the map.” In Florida, people are still working to clear debris from Helene as the next storm bears down. Ahead of Hurricane Milton, Hillsborough County, home to Tampa, ordered evacuations for areas near Tampa Bay and for all mobile and manufactured homes by Tuesday night. Lee County, home to Fort Meyers, issued a mandatory evacuation order for the island of Fort Myers Beach. Other mandatory evacuation orders have been issued in Pinellas County, Pasco County and Manatee County. DeSantis on Tuesday said he wasn't sure exactly how many people plan to evacuate for Hurricane Milton, but that he thinks those who saw Hurricane Helene will be particularly motivated to leave the area.

Tangent

Federal Emergency Management Agency has said it is grappling with "extremely damaging" false narratives circulating about Hurricane Helene, which hit the U.S. two weeks ago. FEMA chief Deanne Criswell said misinformation about the storm and the federal government's response is the "worst" she's ever seen as former President Donald Trump and his allies slam the agency. Trump incorrectly claimed FEMA couldn’t respond appropriately to the storm because it diverted so much money to helping migrants on the order of Vice President Kamala Harris. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said the agency is “meeting the immediate needs with the money that we have.” Other rumors include that FEMA has been withholding aid from areas that have historically voted Republican and that the agency is only giving $750 to disaster survivors to support their recovery.

Further Reading