Milton reaches Category 4 strength. Hurricane and storm surge watches issued

 Actualización en Español del Centro Nacional de Huracanes

Milton strengthened into a major hurricane Monday on a path toward Florida population centers including Tampa and Orlando, threatening a storm surge as high as 12 feet in Tampa Bay and setting the stage for mass evacuations less than two weeks after a catastrophic Hurricane Helene swamped the coastline.

Milton grew into a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds near 150 mph over the southern Gulf of Mexico, according to a 9 a.m. advisory from the National Hurricane Center.

Storm surge and hurricane watches were issued for Florida's Gulf Coast, including the Tampa Bay area.

Forecast models vary widely, but the most likely path would have Milton making landfall Wednesday in the Tampa Bay area and remaining a hurricane as it moves across Central Florida toward the Atlantic Ocean.

That would largely spare other southeastern areas ravaged by Helene, which caused catastrophic damage from northern Florida to the Appalachian Mountains and killed at least 230 people.

LIVE BLOG: Latest on Milton

At 8 a.m. Monday, Milton's center was about 745 miles west-southwest of Tampa, moving east-southeast at 8 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

Milton is a bit atypical since it formed so far west and is expected to cross the entire southern Gulf, according to Daniel Brown, a hurricane specialist at the center.

“It’s not uncommon to get a hurricane threat in October along the west coast of Florida, but forming all the way in the southwest Gulf and then striking Florida is a little bit more unusual,” Brown said. Most storms that form in October and hit Florida come from the Caribbean, not the southwestern Gulf, he said.

A hurricane watch has been issued for Florida's Gulf coast from Chokoloskee (Collier County) to the mouth of the Suwanee River (Dixie County), including Tampa Bay.

Forecasters warned of an 8- to 12-foot storm surge in Tampa Bay. A storm surge watch is in effect from Flamingo (southern end of Everglades) north to the Suwannee River, including Charlotte Harbor and Tampa Bay.

A tropical storm watch is in effect for Flamingo to south of Chokoloskee, north of the Suwanee River to Indian Pass, and the Florida Keys.

Watches mean that the conditions are expected in the next 48 hours. Warnings are typically issued 36 hours before those conditions.

State Division of Emergency Management director Kevin Guthrie on Sunday urged residents to immediately start putting storm plans in place, which could include evacuating further inland.

“We are preparing, and I have the State Emergency Response Team preparing for the largest evacuation that we have seen most likely since 2017 Hurricane Irma,” Guthrie said during a news conference at the state Emergency Operations Center.

In advance of Irma, an estimated 6.8 million people took to the road, resulting in large traffic jams on Interstate 95, Interstate 75 and Florida’s Turnpike. Irma, which was a Category 3 storm on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, ran up the spine of the state after making landfall in the Florida Keys and on Marco Island.

The exodus jammed freeways, led to long lines at gas stations and left evacuees in some cases vowing never to evacuate again.

Building on lessons learned during Irma and other previous storms, Florida is staging emergency fuel for gas vehicles and charging stations for electric vehicles along evacuation routes, Guthrie said.

Gov. Ron DeSantis said Sunday that while it remains to be seen where Milton will strike, it’s clear the state is going to be hit hard.

“You have time to prepare,” DeSantis said. “If you’re on that west coast of Florida, barrier islands, just assume you’ll be asked to leave.”

DeSantis expanded his state of emergency declaration Sunday to 51 counties and said Floridians should prepare for more power outages and disruption, making sure they have a week’s worth of food and water and are ready to hit the road.

The Tampa Bay area is still cleaning up extensive damage from Helene and its powerful surge. Twelve people perished in Pinellas County as Helene swamped the coast, with the worst damage along the narrow, 20-mile string of barrier islands that stretch from St. Petersburg to Clearwater.

DeSantis said utility crews are staging ahead of Milton. He said a storm traveling west to east in the area of Interstate 4 will result in “a lot of power outages. That is just something that I think people should prepare for.”

Duke Energy Florida, which provides electricity in areas such as St. Petersburg, Clearwater and around Orlando, issued a news release Sunday urging customers to prepare for “extended outages” from Milton.

“Tropical Storm Milton’s current path poses a major threat to communities along the state’s West Coast,” Todd Fountain, Duke Energy Florida storm director, said in a prepared statement. “We want to assure our customers our team is ready to respond. We will be mobilizing our mutual assistance crews from across the country to help with power restoration.”

People who live in homes built after Florida strengthened codes in 2004, who don’t depend on constant electricity and who aren’t in evacuation zones should probably avoid the roads, Guthrie said.

All classes and school activities in school districts across the region closed preemptively Monday through Wednesday. Officials in Tampa freed all city garages to residents hoping to protect their cars from flooding, including electric vehicles. The vehicles must be left on the third floor or higher in each garage.

As many as 4,000 National Guard troops are helping state crews to remove debris, DeSantis said, and he directed Florida crews dispatched to North Carolina in Helene’s aftermath to return in preparation for Milton.