NOTE: Watch a live look from St. Petersburg as Hurricane Milton nears landfall
Hurricane Milton continued to fluctuate in intensity as it neared landfall in Florida, but what time could the massive storm hit Florida's coast?
According to the latest advisory from the National Hurricane Center, Hurricane Milton is expected to make landfall late Wednesday. The agency said the storm will make landfall along the center of Florida’s west coast.
The hurricane center had previously said landfall could come late Wednesday or early Thursday.
Hurricane Milton dropped to a Category 4 early Wednesday. The National Hurricane Center had predicted it would likely weaken, but remain a major hurricane when it makes landfall.
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.
“Milton has the potential to be one of the most destructive hurricanes on record for west-central Florida,” the National Hurricane Center said in a forecast discussion.
Local
The hurricane was expected to make landfall late Wednesday night on Florida’s west coast near Tampa, but forecasters said “it is critical to remember that even at 24 hours out, it is still not possible to pinpoint an an exact landfall location.”
Here’s a timeline of what could occur in coming days:
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Wednesday
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.
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.
Hurricane Milton approaches limits of what Earth's atmosphere can produce
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.
According to NBC 5 Storm Team Meteorologist Alicia Roman, forecasters predict a landfall late Wednesday night or early Thursday morning, around 1 a.m.
Thursday
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.
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.
Where is the hurricane now?
As of early Wednesday, the hurricane, with winds of 160 miles-per-hour, was in the Gulf of Mexico, north of Cuba and southwest of Florida. A live Hurricane Milton tracker can be found below.
What part of Florida will Milton hit?
New evacuation orders have been issued as officials say time to leave is running out.
Shortly before noon Wednesday, officials in Pasco County, home to more than 500,000 people in bedroom communities for Tampa and St. Petersburg, said they were getting ready to take buses off the roads.
“This is your last chance if you need to get to a shelter,” the Pasco County Public Information Office said in a written statement. “After that, you’ll need to find a way to the shelter or be prepared to ride out the storm.”
The county has six shelters open for anyone in mandatory evacuation zones.
As of 6 a.m. Wednesday, the storm was forecast to hit near Sarasota, just south of Tampa.
"Perhaps landfall in this area, the Florida barrier islands," Roman said.
By Thursday, the hurricane was expected to move through the state and into the eastern part, with winds of around 80 mph.
"But by then, the damage will be done," Roman said.
Fifteen Florida counties, home to more than 7.2 million people, were under mandatory evacuation orders as of Wednesday morning.
Here's the full list:
- Charlotte County
- Citrus County
- Collier County
- Flagler County
- Hernando County
- Hillsborough County
- Lee County
- Levy County
- Manatee County
- Marion County
- Pasco County
- Pinellas County
- Sarasota County
- St. Johns County
- Volusia County
Multiple other Florida counties had voluntary evacuation orders, including Seminole County, Palm Beach County, Osceola County, Orange County, Nassau County and Miami-Dade County. A full list from the Florida officials can be found here.
