As Florida is bracing for landfall of Hurricane Milton on Wednesday, Tampa Bay is an area that has not been hit directly by a major hurricane since 1921.
The Tampa Bay, with a population of more than 3.3 million people, is still reeling from the devastating Hurricane Helene less than two weeks ago.
Florida’s entire west coast is under a hurricane or tropical storm warning as the storm and its 145 mph (230 kph) winds spun just off Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula.
Here are ten key points related to Hurricane Milton and its likely impact
– Early Tuesday, the National Hurricane Center downgraded Milton to a Category 4 hurricane, but forecasters said it still posed “an extremely serious threat to Florida.”
– Forecasters warned that Milton could bring a 10 to 15-foot (3- to 4.5-meter) storm surge to Tampa Bay.
– Hurricane Milton had intensified quickly on Monday, becoming a Category 5 storm at midday with maximum sustained winds of 180 mph (285 kph) before being downgraded.
– Fed by warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico, Milton became the third-fastest intensifying storm on record in the Atlantic Ocean, as it surged from a tropical storm to a Category 5 hurricane – the most powerful category – in less than 24 hours.
– Following Hurricane Milton warning, evacuation orders were issued for beach communities all along the Gulf coast.
– Milton is forecast to remain an extremely dangerous hurricane through landfall and as it makes its way across central Florida toward the Atlantic Ocean with rainfall totals as high as 18 inches (20 centimeters) possible. That means catastrophic damage will occur, including power outages expected to last days.
– US President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration for Florida. Over 7,000 federal workers were mobilized to help in one of the largest mobilizations of federal personnel in history.
– As residents heeded evacuation orders, a steady stream of vehicles headed north toward the Florida Panhandle on Interstate 75.
– Assuring residents that there would be enough gas to fuel their cars for the trip, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Tuesday said: “You do not have to get on the interstate and go far away.”
– As of 10 a.m. CDT on Tuesday, the eye of the storm was 65 miles (105 km) north-northeast of Progreso, a Mexican port near the Yucatan state capital of Merida, and 585 miles (840 km) southwest of Tampa, moving east at 9 mph (15 kph).
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Business News News Us NewsHurricane Milton: Worst storm in 100 years to hit Tampa Bay? Florida braces for massive impact – Key things to know
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