Code Red: 'Waffle House Index' Prompts Chain To Close Tampa Locations Ahead Of Milton

TAMPA, FL — Even amid a devastating storm, residents of Florida and other southeastern states can usually count on Waffle House for the comfort of a warm meal of crispy hash browns, smothered biscuits and syrupy waffles.

But that's not always the case. More than 24 hours before Hurricane Milton's predicted landfall, Waffle House announced it had closed its Tampa area locations, citing its famed Waffle House Index.

On Wednesday, the chain announced several more closures.

• RELATED: Hurricane Milton Approaches FL As Powerful Cat. 4 Storm

Waffle House's post also included a map of closed locations.

What Is The Waffle House Index?

It might sound like a joke at first, but the Waffle House Index, a term coined by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, is real.

The diner prides itself on being open 24/7 and rarely closes, so it’s often used as an informal barometer for how communities handle crises. In fact, FEMA has relied on this index since 2004.

A map of Waffle House's more than 1,900 locations often helps residents of storm-prone states assess whether they’re likely to lose power, endure flooding or experience other extreme conditions that might cause the restaurant to close its doors, according to an Associated Press report. Some use it as a sign they need to evacuate.

Waffle House uses color-coded maps to indicate which restaurants are open, closed or operating with limited resources.

Code Green means that the restaurant is open and serving its full menu.

"They’re open most of the time, and if a Waffle House is closed because there is a disaster, it’s bad. We call it Red," Craig Fugate, a former FEMA director who created the Waffle House Index, told NPR in 2016. "If they’re open but have a limited menu, that’s Code Yellow."

A Code Yellow generally means the location is pulling power from a generator and might have a low food supply. The area might not have running water or electricity, but there’s enough gas to feed hungry customers, according to The AP.

Now, in a signal of how severe Hurricane Milton's impact might be on the Tampa Bay area, Waffle House closed more than 30 locations between Bayonet Point and Cape Coral. That indicates a Code Red in Florida, at least according to the Waffle House Index.

Hurricane Milton was upgraded to a Category 5 storm on Tuesday evening before it weakened slightly overnight. As of Wednesday, the storm was still packing 155 mph winds as it barreled across the Gulf toward Florida's west coast.

Milton is expected to make landfall as a major hurricane in the greater Tampa Bay area, likely somewhere near Sarasota or Bradenton, around 2 a.m. Thursday, forecasters said. 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.