04:55
Hurricane Milton expected to make landfall south of Tampa
The eye of Hurricane Milton is expected to hit south of Tampa, Florida, Wednesday night. While Tampa will experience powerful winds, Sarasota is on track to be where Milton will make landfall. Oct. 9, 2024.
Update as of 8:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024: Hurricane Milton has made landfall as a Category 3 storm near Siesta Key, Florida. Click here for continuing coverage of Hurricane Milton.
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TAMPA – Hurricane Milton nearing landfall along Florida’s Gulf Coast late Wednesday night, but a potentially deadly storm surge from the monster Category 3 hurricane is already inundating shores after outer bands spawned a massive tornado outbreak.
Conditions deteriorated on Wednesday evening as the hurricane continued its potentially life-threatening assault on the Sunshine State.
Hurricane-force winds are blasting the west coast of Florida as the outer bands have prompted more than 100 Tornado Warnings across Central and South Florida. Power outages reached nearly 640,000 before the hurricane made landfall. Flooding was reported around Tampa Bay, according to Florida State Patrol troopers.
"The northern eyewall of Hurricane Milton is beginning to move onshore of the Florida Gulf Coast near Tampa and St. Petersburg where an Extreme Wind Warning is now in effect," the National Hurricane Center said. "Please shelter in place as these extremely dangerous hurricane-force winds overspread the region."
03:11
Storm surge inundating Florida west coast as Milton is hours from landfall
FOX Weather Correspondent Robert Ray reports from Bradenton, Florida, which is close to Hurricane Milton's expected landfall Wednesday night. Oct. 9, 2024.
According to the NHC, Milton is growing in size as it approaches the west coast of Florida. Landfall is expected sometime Wednesday night as the storm has picked up speed and the NHC is forecasting an earlier arrival.
The landfall is forecast to happen on the Gulf Coast between Venice and Tampa Bay.
TRACKING HURRICANE MILTON: FORECAST CONE, SPAGHETTI MODELS, LIVE RADAR AND MORE
02:57
Tree falls on FOX Weather reporter during Hurricane Milton
FOX Weather Correspondent Robert Ray and his crew were reporting from Bradenton, Florida, when powerful winds caused a tree to fall onto the team as Hurricane Milton nears landfall. Oct. 9, 2024.
According to the Florida Department of Transportation, the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in St. Petersburg was closed in both directions due to the deteriorating conditions. Officials also said the Howard Frankland Bridge, the westbound Gandy Bridge and westbound Courtney Campbell were also closed to traffic.
Across the region, emergency services were suspended or significantly delayed because of extreme winds.
(FOX Weather)
Emergency services in Sarasota were suspended around 6:30 p.m. when winds became too high for first responders to respond to calls for service. North of Tampa, the Pasco County Sheriff's Office said rescue operations were slowed, but citizens could still call 911.
"You need to shelter in place. If you need help, we cannot respond," the Sarasota Police Department wrote on X. "Please do not venture out and put your life in danger."
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Hurricane Milton spawns tornado outbreak in Florida
More than 130 Tornado Warnings have been issued across Central and South Florida as Hurricane Milton's powerful outer bands found an atmosphere ripe for tornadic development.
MILTON'S LIKELY RECORD-BREAKING STORM SURGE IN TAMPA BAY COULD SURPASS ANYTHING SEEN IN OVER A CENTURY
05:33
Florida's I-75 hit by tornado Wednesday as outer bands of Milton arrive
Outer bands of Hurricane Milton are already impacting Florida ahead of landfall, bringing heavy rainfall, strong winds and tornadoes.
Stunning videos from Florida Department of Transportation cameras along Interstate 75 in Alligator Alley between Broward and Palm Beach counties captured the destructive force of Milton's extreme weather in the state. FOX Weather Correspondent Brandy Campbell happened upon tornado damage in Fort Myers.
Significant tornado damage was also reported on Florida's east coast as a tornado destroyed a facility at the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office.
No deputies were reported injured during the twister.
WATCH: TORNADO OUTBREAK SPAWNS FROM HURRICANE MILTON AS FUNNEL CLOUDS SWIRL IN SOUTH FLORIDA
00:17
Large tornado near Florida's Turnpike spotted Wednesday morning associated with Hurricane Milton
A dangerous tornado was seen near the Miccosukee Service Plaza in Ochopee, Florida. A Tornado Warning remains in effect until 10 a.m. Friday.
The National Weather Service office in Miami had issued more than 50 Tornado Warnings as of Wednesday afternoon, breaking its record for the most issued in a single day. The previous record was set during an outbreak from Hurricane Ian two years ago.
The SPC says as Milton’s rain bands continue to flow into Florida, supercell thunderstorms capable of producing tornadoes, including strong tornadoes (EF-2 or higher), are likely to continue to develop.
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Devastating storm surge forecast for Tampa Bay, Charlotte Harbor
The latest storm surge forecast for Hurricane Milton.
Storm surge forecasts along the central western coast are predicting up to 13 feet of water topped with devastating waves driven by hurricane-force winds. Those levels — significantly higher than the damage wrought just last month by Hurricane Helene – would surpass anything seen in over a century in the Tampa Bay area.
By Wednesday afternoon, several feet of storm surge had already reached the shores of Fort Myers and Naples.
"Yes, you might have 'been through hurricanes before,'" FOX Weather Hurricane Specialist Bryan Norcross said. "But you weren't through the 1921 storm that put water over much of Pinellas County, or the 1848 hurricane that put 15 feet of Gulf water where downtown Tampa is today."
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Connor Ferran's house is seen after it was hit by a tornado in Fort Myers, Florida on October 9, 2024, as Hurricane Milton approaches. Milton regained power on October 8 to become a Category 5 storm with maximum sustained winds of 165 mph (270 kph) as it barrels towards the west-central coast of Florida and is forecast to make landfall late October 9, according to the National Hurricane Center. (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP) (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images) (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP) (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images)
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FORT MYERS, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 09: Robert Haight salvages what he can from his home after what appeared to be a tornado tore the roof off before Hurricane Milton's arrival on October 09, 2024, in Fort Myers, Florida. He said he had just had the roof replaced two years after Hurricane Ian had damaged it. People are preparing for the storm, which could be a Cat 3 when it makes landfall on Wednesday evening. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
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Hurricane Milton effects in West Bradenton, Florida. ()
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Hurricane Milton effects in West Bradenton, Florida. ()
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Hurricane Milton in Sarasota, Florida ()
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Alexa Haight hugs her grandfather Robin Haight before he is taken to the hospital by medics after getting injured by a reported tornado that hit his house in Fort Myers, Florida, on October 9, 2024, as Hurricane Milton approaches. Florida residents fled or just hunkered down in the final hours October 9 before Milton pummels the state, as government emergency relief efforts were dragged to the center of the US election. (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images)
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Dan Jones points toward a destroyed roof in his backyard after a tornado hit in Fort Myers, Florida on October 9, 2024, as Hurricane Milton approaches. Many Florida residents have fled, but some battened down the hatches, in the final hours October 9, 2024 before Hurricane Milton pummels the state, as government relief efforts were dragged into the thick of the White House race. (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images)
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ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 07: Traffic is heavy as thousands evacuate ahead of Hurricane Milton as it churns in the Gulf of Mexico on October 07, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Florida. Milton, which comes on heels of the destructive Hurricane Helene, has strengthened to a Category 5 storm as it approaches Florida’s Gulf Coast near St. Petersburg and Tampa, where it is projected to make landfall Wednesday. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) ()
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BIG CYPRESS, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 08: Vehicles fill the road as they drive to the East on I-75 from the West coast of Florida before the arrival of Hurricane Milton on October 08, 2024 in Big Cypress, Florida. Thousands of people are on the move as they try to find safety before the storm's arrival, which could be a Cat 3 when it makes landfall on Wednesday evening. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
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Potential tornado damage spotted in Fort Myers, Florida. (Brandy Campbell)
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Potential tornado damage spotted in Fort Myers, Florida. (Brandy Campbell)
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Outer bands of Hurricane Milton are already impacting Florida ahead of landfall, bringing heavy rainfall, strong winds and tornadoes. (FDOT)
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This photo shows the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in St. Petersburg, Florida, on Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (@MyFDOT_Tampa/X)
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A man in rain gear rides a bike through Dunedin ahead of Hurricane Milton's expected landfall tonight on October 9, 2024 in Florida. Milton regained power on October 8 to become a Category 5 storm with maximum sustained winds of 165 mph (270 kph) as it barrels towards the west-central coast of Florida and is forecast to make landfall late October 9, according to the National Hurricane Center. (Photo by Bryan R. SMITH / AFP) (Photo by BRYAN R. SMITH/AFP via Getty Images) ()
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A boarded up house for sale in the the front yard in Dunedin ahead of Hurricane Milton's expected landfall tonight on October 9, 2024 in Florida. Milton regained power on October 8 to become a Category 5 storm with maximum sustained winds of 165 mph (270 kph) as it barrels towards the west-central coast of Florida and is forecast to make landfall late October 9, according to the National Hurricane Center. (Photo by Bryan R. SMITH / AFP) (Photo by BRYAN R. SMITH/AFP via Getty Images) ()
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A vehicle at an intersection beginning to flood ahead of Hurricane Milton's expected landfall in St. Petersburg, Florida, US, on Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. HurricaneMiltonchurned toward Florida's west coast with winds powerful enough to demolish houses, threatening to unleash once-in-a-century flooding across some of the state's fastest-growing counties. Photographer: Tristan Wheelock/Bloomberg via Getty Images ()
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People arrive to shelter buffalo creek middle school ahead of Hurricane Milton expected landfall in Bradenton, Florida on October 9, 2024. Milton regained power on October 8 to become a Category 5 storm with maximum sustained winds of 165 mph (270 kph) as it barrels towards the west-central coast of Florida and is forecast to make landfall late October 9, according to the National Hurricane Center. (Photo by Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo / AFP) (Photo by MIGUEL J. RODRIGUEZ CARRILLO/AFP via Getty Images) ()
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FORT MYERS BEACH, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 09: Palm trees line the beach before Hurricane Milton's arrival on October 09, 2024, in Fort Myers Beach, Florida. People are preparing for the storm, which could be a Cat 3 when it makes landfall on Wednesday evening. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) ()
The NHC has lowered the forecast storm surge levels in Tampa Bay, but with the current storm surge forecast of 6-9 feet, the destruction could be catastrophic if that comes to fruition. Charlotte Harbor is also forecast to see a storm surge of up to 12 feet.
On the state's east coast, a storm surge of up to 5 feet is possible from Sebastian Inlet northward to the Florida-Georgia state line.
But even after landfall, damaging winds are expected to track across the central Florida Peninsula.
Devastating winds to tear across Central Florida
This graphic shows the wind threat from Hurricane Milton.
(FOX Weather)
Aside from the life-threatening storm surge, Milton is forecast to bring wind speeds well over 100 mph around the eyewall where the hurricane makes landfall. That includes the Tampa area, which has potential wind gusts over 95 mph or more at landfall.
Milton is forecast to maintain hurricane strength even through its trek toward the state's Atlantic coast, with Hurricane Warnings covering 11 million, including the Orlando area and along the east coast from the St. Lucie/Martin County Line northward to Ponte Vedra Beach.
03:38
Orlando bracing for Milton's impacts as airports, theme parks close
While countless Florida residents flee the coast ahead of Hurricane Milton, Orlando, too, is bracing for impact. FOX Weather Meteorologist Ari Sarsalari is in Orlando where officials and residents have been preparing for impacts such as damaging winds, torrential rain and flooding.
Storm surge will also be felt along the Atlantic coast of Florida from the Space Coast to the First Coast. This includes cities such asDaytona Beach,St. AugustineandJacksonville Beach.
Rainfall totals will reach 8-12 inches along Milton's path, with isolated totals reaching 18 inches. And Milton will present a threat of several tornadoes even ahead of landfall.
Where is Hurricane Milton?
As of the latest advisory from the NHC, Hurricane Milton is located less than 35 miles southwest of Sarasota and 140 miles southwest of Orlando. Milton is moving off to the northeast at 15 mph.
The forecast cone for Hurricane Milton.
(FOX Weather)
Hurricane Milton remains a powerful Category 3 hurricane with winds of 120 mph, and the storm is expected to remain a major hurricane when it makes landfall.
Milton is expected to turn toward the east-northeast on Thursday and Friday, tracking along the Florida peninsula overnight Wednesday and early Thursday before it moves off the east coast of Florida into the Atlantic Ocean.
