Powerful Hurricane Milton Takes Aim at Tampa Bay

Despite slightly weakening to a Category 4 storm, Hurricane Milton is now a Category 5 storm and still going to pose great danger to those in its path when it roars onshore late Wednesday along the Florida Gulf Coast. Here is a look at the latest situation with Milton.

Latest Update on Hurricane Milton

As of the latest update from the National Hurricane Center (NHC), Milton is a Category 5 storm packing maximum sustained winds of 165 mph. The storm is moving to the east-northeast at a speed of 9 mph through the Gulf of Mexico.

Where the storm eventually makes landfall will dictate who sees the most life-threatening impacts. The current models indicate that Milton will make landfall close to St. Petersburg along the west-central coastline of the state late Wednesday night.

Milton surprised tropical weather experts when it nearly tripled in intensity over a period of less than 36 hours to start the week. The feature hit the status of a Category 5 storm at its peak on Monday, boasting winds of 180 mph as it churned in the Gulf off of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula.

Hurricane Milton went through an eyewall replacement cycle late Monday, resulting in slight weakening. However, the storm is likely to gain strength again on Tuesday before likely weakening one more time on Wednesday as it moves through an area of dry wind shear. At this point, most models are in agreement that Milton will make landfall as a major Category 3 storm as defined by the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.

While there is hope in knowing that weakening is likely prior to landfall, the anticipated impact zone will translate to a greater degree of effects. For instance, the storm is predicted to come onshore in a densely populated area of Florida, increasing the projected economic damages and loss to life.

More than 9 million Floridians are now under a hurricane warning. The warning zone includes Tampa, Orlando, and St. Petersburg. Millions more are under a hurricane watch at this time.

Tampa International Airport closed Tuesday morning in an effort to prepare the facility for the storm. Meanwhile, Orlando International Airport announced that it will cease operations Wednesday morning.