Hurricane Milton Downgraded To Category 3, Tornado Warnings In Effect

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Hurricane Milton Makes Landfall In FL As A Category 3 Storm

FLORIDA — Hurricane Milton weakened slightly Wednesday afternoon to a strong Category 3 storm ahead of its predicted Thursday morning landfall. Meanwhile, tornado and storm surge warnings remain in effect for much of the state, according to the National Hurricane Center.

At 4 p.m., the system was located about 100 miles southwest of Tampa with sustained winds of 125 mph, the NHC said in an update. Milton was moving northeast at 17 mph.

"Heavy rainfall with tropical-storm-force winds are spreading inland across the Florida peninsula. A recent wind gust of 68 mph was recorded at a mesonet site located in Fort Myers Beach," NHC forecasters wrote.

Multiple tornado warnings were in effect across the Florida peninsula on Wednesday afternoon, forecasters said. Ahead of Milton's projected landfall, dozens of tornado warnings were issued for counties in parts of central and southern Florida, according to the National Weather Service. Charlotte, DeSoto, Highlands, Lee, Polk and Hardee counties were among those under tornado warnings Wednesday.

"If a tornado warning is issued for your area, be ready to shelter quickly, preferably away from windows and in an interior room not prone to flooding," NHC forecasters said.

Milton is expected to make landfall as a major hurricane south of Tampa, likely somewhere near Sarasota or Bradenton. Landfall should happen around 2 a.m. Thursday, forecasters said.

The exact area of the eye’s landfall is still in question as the storm aims for Florida.

“At this point, every little jog or wobble will matter,” Denis Phillips, chief meteorologist for ABC Action News, wrote in a Wednesday morning Facebook post. “Trying to use models to pinpoint a track change of a few miles is impossible.”

In an interview with USA Today, Rick Davis, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Tampa Bay, said Milton's path remains difficult to predict with certainty.

"Even 12 hours ahead of landfall, the margin of error is about 25 miles, which could make a big difference," Davis said.

As the forecasted landfall point continues to bounce, "that is going to be (the) big difference on storm surge conditions in the Tampa Bay area. If it just moves another 10 or 20 miles, then all that surge will be materialized in Tampa Bay."

Millions were ordered to evacuate in multiple counties along the coast ahead of the storm as officials warned that stragglers would face grim odds of surviving. The mass exodus snarled traffic along the state’s main highways, including Interstate 75 and Interstate 4.

In a statement published online Wednesday afternoon, the Pasco County Public Information Office said if residents hadn’t evacuated yet, it was “time to ride out the storm where you are.”

In a follow-up video message, Pasco Assistant Fire Chief Ryan Guynn said there would be a window of several hours during the storm when emergency workers would not be able to respond to calls in person. He instructed residents in need of assistance to call 911 and be as descriptive as possible. First responders will then assist when they can, he said.

According to analysts at GasBuddy, more than 20 percent of gas stations in Florida were without fuel Wednesday afternoon, including more than 60 percent in Tampa and St. Petersburg.

Gov. Ron DeSantis said state troopers had escorted tanker trucks carrying almost 1 million gallons of gas to stations by late Wednesday afternoon and that the state had 1.6 million gallons of diesel and 1.1 million gallons of gas on hand.

“There is no, right now, fuel shortage,” he said of the state as a whole. “However, demand has been extraordinarily high and some gas stations have run out.”

The U.S. Coast Guard on Wednesday had also prepositioned personnel, aircraft and boats in advance of the storm to assist with urgent search and rescue and to assess and expedite the reopening of seaports.

Coast Guard officials said they had 27 aircraft, including 17 on immediate standby and 10 Coast Guard Auxiliary aircraft. There are also 30 cutters and three floodwater response teams, with 16 crews and 19 boats stationed at Camp Blanding in northeast Florida.

Milton is expected to remain a hurricane while it crosses the Florida peninsula, forecasters said previously.

Destructive and life-threatening storm surge of 10 feet or more is expected in the hardest-hit areas, including parts of Tampa Bay, the National Hurricane Center said.

Devastating hurricane-force winds are also expected to impact parts of the west coast, the agency said.

The system will also bring heavy rainfall across much of the Florida peninsula through Thursday, bringing a risk of flash, urban and river flooding.

"Heavy rain from the storm extends almost 400 miles head of the storm. The rain will fall for hours even before the actual hurricane approaches with even more rain," Phillips wrote.

This story includes reporting by The Associated Press.