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Milton Expected to Become a Major Hurricane, DeSantis Declares State of Emergency

Tropical Storm Milton is now expected to become a major hurricane before it makes landfall on Florida’s west coast, according to the National Hurricane Center.

As of 5 p.m. ET on Oct 5, Milton is expected to bring “life-threatening impacts” to Florida’s Gulf Coast, achieving maximum sustained winds of 115 mph, making it a Category 3 hurricane.

Major hurricanes are those with maximum sustained winds exceeding 110 mph.

Last spotted 245 miles north of Veracruz, Mexico, with estimated sustained winds of 40 mph, Milton is forecast to become a hurricane within the next 36 hours as it crosses the Gulf of Mexico.

It will then make landfall on the Florida Peninsula on the afternoon of Wednesday, Oct. 9, and as of 5 p.m. on Oct. 5, its trajectory has its center aimed toward St. Petersburg.

“There is an increasing risk of life-threatening storm surge, and wind impacts for portions of the west coast of the Florida Peninsula beginning late Tuesday or Wednesday,” the National Hurricane Center stated in its latest discussion. “Residents in these areas should ensure they have their hurricane plan in place, follow any advice given by local officials, and check back for updates to the forecast.”

In anticipation of landfall, Florida’s Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for 35 counties, including Tampa Bay area counties of Hillsborough, Pinellas, Manatee, and Sarasota.

“As many continue to recover from Hurricane Helene, I have directed @FLSERT and @MyFDOT to coordinate all available personnel and resources to supplement local communities as they expedite debris removal in impacted areas,” DeSantis said on X. “We will continue staging state assets to prepare for efficient search and rescue, power restoration, and roadway clearing.”

No coastal watches or warnings have been issued as of 2 p.m. on Oct. 5, but hurricane and storm surge watches will likely be required for portions of Florida beginning on Oct. 6.

Heavy rainfall is also expected to impact portions of Florida’s coast on Oct. 6 and Oct. 7. This will be separate from the rainfall expected to be delivered by Milton later on Oct. 8.

Milton is forecast to deliver five to eight inches of rain with localized totals up to 12 inches across the Florida peninsula and the Keys through Oct. 9.

Milton-related rainfall will bring the risk of flash, urban, areal, and isolated moderate river flooding.

It is too soon to know for certain exactly where Milton will make landfall, but the Tampa Bay area—which includes the cities of Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater, and Manatee—and Sarasota are currently in the middle of the “cone of uncertainty.”

The National Hurricane Center’s forecast advisory puts Milton more than 200 miles north of Cancun by 2 p.m. on Oct. 8 with maximum sustained winds of around 100 knots, or around 115 mph. Tropical storm-force winds (39–73 mph) are expected to extend out more than 120 miles from the storm’s center in every direction and up to 140 miles to the northeast.

The extended outlook—which the National Hurricane Center states averages an error of 125 nautical miles—puts Milton’s center just offshore of St. Petersburg by 2 p.m. on Oct. 9, with 115 mph winds and tropical storm-force winds extending more than 150 miles northeast and more than 140 miles southeast.

If Milton makes landfall in the Tampa Bay area, it will be the first named storm to do so in more than 100 years. The last one made landfall in Tarpon Springs in 1921.

Meanwhile, residents in Tampa Bay and across the Gulf Coast are still reeling from the record-setting storm surge brought upon by Hurricane Helene on the night of Sept. 26.

READ 22 COMMENTS
  • Wapitihunter says:

    And O’Biden will take 2 weeks to do a fly over and access any dammage. Kalamity will give $500 aid unless you’re an illegal and Fed’s will overbook hotels for illegals and themselves. DeSantis needs to kick illegals and Fed’s out of their State and send them to California.

  • AMitchell says:

    I cannot believe that KHarris dared to shove her nose into the Hurricane Milton crisis after the FEMA debacle of Hurricane Helene that she and Biden created by draining FEMA funds in order to support their pet illegal aliens. She’s giving every American FAMILY $750 in aid??? They wouldn’t even survive if every member of a family received $750!!! Add to that her insults aimed at Governor DeSantis when he gave a stellar press conference regarding public safety to Floridians. NO ONE could have done better than DeSantis, while Harris is burbling nonsensical Karl Marx platitudes to the left wing press. She can’t handle it when her teleprompter hits the skids because she doesn’t know what subject she’s talking about. She is even less capable of uniting the country than Biden or Obama was – and no one could imagine that being possible!

  • AMitchell says:

    Harris/Biden draining dedicated funds to their pet illegal aliens instead of American victims of a guaranteed yearly catastrophe like HURRICANE SEASON must be the hand of God yet again. That may indeed affect funds for the future victims of the terrorists Harris has let into the country already. I pray I’m not speaking too soon to say that she will be singlehandedly serving up the Oval Office to President Trump as soon as Milton hits landfall. Pray for the victims!

  • Rick says:

    I just watched his emergency management briefings on TV. Wow! talk about being proactive. These guys have their shit together down there. 650 ambulance on standby new pumps for hospitals to prevent flooding.250,000 gal of diesel and another 75,000 of gas. Porta pottys already brought in. Rescue teams on standby. A emergency management website for residents with special medical needs to sign up and also single seniors etc etc. Up here in the north we get some retard lib Govenor giving us the captain obvious speech and trying to sound like he’s the smartest guy in the room. Aka Mitt Romney hurricane 2011 hurricane.

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