Hurricane Milton has strengthened back into a massive Category 5 storm as it churns toward the west coast of Florida, and it could cause widespread damage and destruction when it arrives.
The hurricane was located approximately 440 miles from Tampa as of 7 p.m. Tuesday, churning toward the east-northeast as it threatened to make landfall in a heavily populated area of the state.
Here’s a timeline of what could occur in coming days.
Tuesday Night
According to the National Hurricane Center, Milton strengthened back into a Category 5 hurricane on Tuesday afternoon, generating sustained wind speeds of 165 miles per hour, with even more ferocious gusts possible.
At some point Tuesday, it is expected that the storm will begin to increase in speed as it moves toward Florida, leading to landfall within the next 24-to-36 hours.
Wednesday Morning
Local
The first impacts of the storm in Florida will really be felt Wednesday morning, with some bands of rain potentially reaching the coast. More importantly, tropical storm-force winds are expected to begin arriving on the coast by midday, churning up high waves on area beaches as the hurricane draws closer.
In addition, the threat of tornadoes will emerge in the forecast of parts of the Florida peninsula, with that threat increasing as the storm approaches, according to the National Weather Service.
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Wednesday Night
The exact timing of landfall is still up for discussion, but hurricane-force winds are expected to begin impacting the Florida coast Wednesday evening.
Those winds could occur up to 30 miles from the center of the storm, with tropical storm-force winds extending significantly further, up to 140 miles from the center of the hurricane.
As the storm makes landfall, it is expected to bring with it devastating storm surges, depending on where tides are when it arrives. Forecasters with the National Hurricane Center are warning of storm surges of up to 10-to-15 feet in an area stretching between the Anclote River and Englewood, including heavily populated areas around Tampa Bay and Clearwater Beach.
Large and dangerous waves will also occur with the storm surge, causing even more dangerous conditions near the water.
Tropical storm-force winds are expected to reach the east coast of Florida by the late evening hours, according to official forecasts.
Thursday Morning
Heavy rain is expected to continue throughout the morning hours and well into the afternoon, leading to potentially “catastrophic and life-threatening flash flooding” in many parts of west-central Florida.
By the time the storm moves out, rainfall totals of 6-to-12 inches, with localized totals of up to 18 inches, are possible, especially in a stretch of land between Tampa and Orlando, according to the National Weather Service.
Thursday could also see tropical storm conditions develop along the coasts of Georgia and South Carolina, with gusty winds and roughly 2-to-4 feet of storm surge, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Thursday Evening
Milton is expected to continue moving away from the coasts of Florida into the evening hours, and will start to have greater impacts in the Bahamas, according to forecast models.
Flash flooding is still possible in parts of Florida as the storm passes through.
