ORLANDO, Fla. – Milton rapidly strengthened Monday in the Gulf of Mexico and became a Category 5 storm (175 mph winds) on a path toward Florida, threatening a dangerous storm surge in Tampa Bay before making a bee line over Orlando, according to the National Hurricane Center’s current track.
Landfall is projected in Florida as a Category 3 hurricane (111-129 mph winds) on Wednesday, and as of 2 p.m. Monday, Central Florida is expected to have a Category 2 hurricane (96-110 mph winds) overhead later Wednesday.
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Residents in the Orlando area should be fully prepared to experience hurricane conditions from Wednesday through Thursday, so all preparations should be completed by Tuesday.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has declared a state of emergency for 51 counties ahead of Milton’s anticipated Gulf Coast landfall.
School districts and universities across the region have announced closures. Click here to see the closures in your area.
Meantime, there’s been a stream of vehicles Monday heading north on Interstate 75 as residents were already heeding the pleas of local and state officials to evacuate ahead of Hurricane Milton.
In some stretches, the flow of traffic slowed considerably due to the sheer number of cars, semi-trucks and recreational vehicles trying to get out of harm’s way. Emergency officials are telling those in the storm’s path to consider evacuating tens of miles rather than hundreds of miles away, in part due to concerns that traffic could snarl evacuation routes and leave motorists stranded.
Sarasota County urged residents to take the approaching storm seriously.
“Take action now to ensure you and your loved ones are ready,” officials posted on the county’s website.
Sarasota, which is about 60 miles south of Tampa on Florida’s Gulf Coast, is preparing for whatever Hurricane Milton brings. Evacuations were underway Monday in the most coastal and low-lying areas. “Leave now,” was the directive on the website. Other areas should be prepared for the storm as well, officials said.
Sarasota took a glancing blow from Hurricane Helene late last month, and many areas in the region were flooded by storm surge.
The county said evacuation centers will open at 10 a.m. on Tuesday for those who can’t leave the area.
“If your plan is to leave the area, do so now, today, Monday. This will be one of the largest evacuations along our state’s west coast. If you wait, you will get stuck in traffic,” officials said.