The National Hurricane Center said, “Milton has the potential to be one of the most destructive hurricanes on record for west-central Florida.”
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Hurricane Milton regained strength as a major Category 5 hurricane storm Tuesday afternoon. Now, the storm has downgraded to a Category 4 storm. Despite the weakening trend, the rain and wind will increase across Florida today. The National Hurricane Center said, “Milton has the potential to be one of the most destructive hurricanes on record for west-central Florida.”
Wednesday 7 a.m. update
The 7 a.m. update from the National Hurricane Center has Milton as a powerful Category 4 hurricane, with sustained winds of 155 mph. According to the NHC, it is moving northeast at 16 mph. As it enters the eastern Gulf on the west side of Florida, it will encounter wind shear but only weaken to a strong Category 3 or low-end Category 4 right before landfall.
The track of Milton still has some uncertainty as landfall is less than 20 hours away. Areas from Tampa to Fort Myers remain in the cone of uncertainty.
On Tuesday, there was a big southward shift in the storm track, placing the center of the storm south of Tampa. However, the early Wednesday morning track still shows the risk of Tampa receiving a lot of water and storm surge. The confidence is very high that significant storm surge, rain and wind will be problematic from the Tampa area to Sarasota, and the Fort Myers/Cape Coral area. A slight shift northward in the track could increase concern for many people in the metro area of Tampa. Regardless, people in this area need to heed evacuation notices and seek shelter away from the Gulf Coast.
The local National Weather Service office in Tampa says, “If preparations to protect life and property have not yet been completed, time is now perilously close to running out and they should be rushed to completion as quickly as possible, as conditions will begin deteriorating as early as later this morning (Wednesday) into the afternoon as impacts from Milton begin moving into the area. It cannot be stressed enough to please follow the guidance of local authorities and evacuate if told to do so, as it may ultimately prove to be life-saving.”
In Middle Tennessee and Southern Kentucky, there is no impact on our region from Milton.