Residents of Florida are continuing to evacuate and prepare for Hurricane Milton – which is set to be one of the most destructive ever to hit the Gulf Coast.
More than one million people are under evacuation orders with many more also fleeing, but blocked roads are making the trip out of the path of the hurricane slow-going. Some 17% of Florida’s nearly 8,000 petrol stations have also run out of fuel, adding more obstacles to evacuations.
The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) officially classed Milton as a category 5 hurricane – the highest level that can be reached.
The wind speeds could yet drop and Milton could be downgraded – however the size of the storm is still growing, putting coastal areas in danger. Some areas of central Florida could see up to 18 inches of rain fall.
Officials from president Joe Biden to Tampa mayor Jane Castor warned people in evacuation zones to get out or risk death. Biden warned leaving the area was a matter of “life and death”. He told Florida residents: “Evacuate now, now, now.”
Castor said there has “never been [a storm] like this”, adding: “This is literally catastrophic, and I can say without any dramatisation whatsoever: If you choose to stay in one of those evacuation areas, you’re going to die.” Tampa police chief Lee Bercaw said: “We’ve never seen anything like this before. This is the storm of the century.”
When will Hurricane Milton hit Florida?
The eye of the storm was 405 miles south-west of Tampa, moving northeast at 12 mph, at 3am (GMT) this morning.
While a precise time the hurricane will hit landfall has still not been predicted, Milton is expected to reach the west coast of Florida late on Wednesday or early Thursday (Florida time) as a hurricane.
Where will Hurricane Milton hit?
West-central Florida is set to be the worst-hit by Milton. It is projected to make landfall between Tampa and Fort Myers, according to the NHC.
The agency said there is a “high risk of life-threatening flash and urban flooding” in metropolitan areas of Tampa, Orlando and Daytona Beach.
On Tuesday night the NHC said Milton had “wobbled” to the south, prompting forecaster to slightly alter its track. However, predictions can be off by as much as 60 miles when the storm is still over a day away. The hurricane is set to end up in the Atlantic Ocean after moving across Florida.
What is a category 5 hurricane?
Milton is a category 5 hurricane – the most severe classification in the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale. Sustained winds of 157mph or higher must be reached for a hurricane to reach this category.
This level of hurricane can cause catastrophic damage, with a high likelihood of total destruction to buildings, severe flooding, and widespread power outages, according to the NHC.
Coastal areas are particularly vulnerable, and such hurricanes can lead to significant loss of life if proper precautions are not taken.