Officials Warn Of ‘Extremely Life-Threatening’ Storm Surge As Floridians Brace For Milton

The National Hurricane Center warned Floridians Wednesday morning that an “extremely life-threatening” storm surge is headed their way as Hurricane Milton moves toward the Sunshine State.  

The Center told residents to comply with evacuation orders from local officials as dangerous winds, torrential rain, and catastrophic flooding is expected to be brought by Milton. Milton will be the second hurricane to hit the region in less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene made landfall on September 26. 

“A large area of destructive storm surge, with highest inundations of 10 ft or greater, is expected along a portion of the west-central coast of the Florida Peninsula,” the Center said in an early morning advisory. “If you are in the Storm Surge Warning area, this is an extremely life-threatening situation, and you should evacuate as soon as possible if ordered by local officials.”

Officials also warned that Milton, a category four hurricane as of Wednesday morning, will bring “devastating hurricane-force winds” along parts of Florida’s west coast, where a hurricane warning is in effect. The prediction center issued a tornado watch for portions of central and South Florida, as well as the coastal waters region from 8:15 a.m. Wednesday morning until the evening. 

“Milton is forecast to remain a hurricane while it crosses the Florida Peninsula and life-threatening hurricane-force winds, especially in gusts, are expected to spread inland across the peninsula,” the center said. “Preparations to protect life and property, including being ready for long-duration power outages, should be rushed to completion.”

“Rainfall amounts of 6 to 12 inches, with localized totals up to 18 inches, are expected across central to northern portions of the Florida Peninsula through Thursday.  This rainfall brings the risk of catastrophic and life-threatening flash and urban flooding, along with moderate to major river flooding,” the National Hurricane said in a separate bulletin. 

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Officials project that Milton will move through the eastern Gulf of Mexico Wednesday before hitting the west-central coast of Florida later in the night or early Thursday morning before moving off the east coast of Florida to the western Atlantic Ocean Thursday afternoon. 

Milton has had sustained winds of 155 miles per hour with faster gusts and is expected “to remain an extremely dangerous major hurricane” when it hits Florida.

The storm comes as disaster relief efforts are still being made for Hurricane Helene, which caused widespread damage across the Southeastern United States. At least 230 people were killed across Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, and Tennessee because of the Helene.

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