Latest Update on Hurricane Milton as Florida Prepares for Strike

Hurricane Milton is forecast to come ashore within a dozen miles of the islands located at the mouth of Tampa Bay late Wednesday. Here are the latest details on what is likely to be a devastating storm.

Hurricane Milton Churning Toward Florida for Late Wednesday Landfall

A life-threatening Category 4 hurricane is barreling toward the Florida west-central coast. Time is running out for the millions of residents in the path of the monster storm to evacuate. A mass of dry air is predicted to mix in with Milton in the hours ahead, working to slightly weaken it before landfall. However, the storm is still likely to strike as a Category 3 or 4 major hurricane.

The worst of the storm surge will set up to the south of where the eye of Milton comes on land. This zone is bracing for a surge of 15 to 20 feet. Meteorologists are particularly worried that a later landfall will result in a more catastrophic storm surge as it will happen closer to high tide at 4 am.

In addition to the dangerous surge, Milton will usher in flooding rainfall and damaging winds. Hurricane conditions are expected for up and down the Interstate 4 corridor.

As of mid-day Wednesday, Milton was churning in the Gulf of Mexico as a Category 4 storm with maximum sustained winds of 145 mph. Milton is moving at a fast clip, tracking to the northeast at a speed of 17 mph.

While the timing could still change in the hours ahead, the latest models suggest that Milton will make landfall at about 11 pm EDT.