Weather

'Escape now,' hurricane center leader urges, as Hurricane Milton approaches

By Ayana Archie,

Published October 9, 2024 at 5:26 AM EDT

Chris Williams runs through a rain storm as he packs his car to evacuate his apartment in Fort Myers, Fla., on Wednesday before Hurricane Milton's arrival.

National Hurricane Center says "Milton has the potential to be one of the most destructive hurricanes on record for west-central Florida." Biden and Harris urged residents to stay safe Wednesday.

People in Florida are running out of time to evacuate ahead of Hurricane Milton making landfall along the state's western coastline, now expected as early as Wednesday night.

As of 5 a.m. ET, Milton remained a Category 5 storm with maximum sustained wind speeds of 160 miles per hour, the National Hurricane Center said. It was 300 miles southwest of Tampa and traveling at 14 mph. Multiple hurricane, tropical storm and storm surge advisories are in effect in coastal areas in western Florida. The National Hurricane Center predicts the storm surge could get as high as 15 feet in some places, and rainfall totals could reach 18 inches.

Storm surge warnings are in effect for Florida's west coast from Flamingo northward to Yankeetown, including Charlotte Harbor and Tampa Bay. Hurricane warnings are in effect for Bonita Beach northward to Suwannee River, including Tampa Bay. Hurricane warnings also are in effect for the state's east coast from the St. Lucie-Martin County Line northward to Ponte Vedra Beach.

Gov. Ron DeSantis has issued states of emergency in 51 out of 67 counties.

"There's going to be impacts far beyond wherever the eye of the storm is," DeSantis said Tuesday. “You should be executing your plan now. If you're going to get out, get out now. You have time today. Time will be running out very shortly if you wait any longer."

Forecasters are warning that Milton will get bigger as it approaches Florida, widening the potential areas where communities could see dangerous winds and flooding.

Milton is expected to make landfall on the western coast of Florida late Wednesday. But NHC forecasters also warn that weather conditions in Florida will start to deteriorate much earlier on Wednesday.

Milton became a hurricane on Sunday after its wind speeds increased over very warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico. Milton's arrival comes just under two weeks after Hurricane Helene brought catastrophic levels of storm surge, rain and strong winds to Florida.