As Hurricane Milton continues its path toward Florida’s Gulf Coast, Central Florida is preparing for dangerous storm conditions ahead of an expected Wednesday night landfall.
According to the National Hurricane Center’s 11 a.m. advisory, Milton was located about 160 miles west-southwest of Fort Myers and about 190 miles southwest of Tampa. It was moving northeast at 17 mph with maximum sustained winds of 145 mph.
Despite dropping from a Category 5 to a Category 4 hurricane Wednesday morning, Milton continues to bring about significant tornado and flood threats throughout central and south Florida.
“Life-threatening, devastating flooding is forecast along the I-4 corridor,” the National Weather Service said Wednesday morning. “Many tornadoes are possible this afternoon/tonight, especially in organized rain bands. Hurricane-force winds arrive tonight into Thursday, along with an increasing threat for storm surge.”
A flood warning has been issued for parts of Central Florida including Orange, Osceola, Volusia and Brevard counties until 12:15 p.m.
A tornado watch has been issued for parts of Central Florida including Osceola and Polk counties until 9 p.m.
The National Hurricane Center says now is the time to rush to complete preparations and ensure residents are in a safe location with reliable avenues of receiving weather warnings.
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This article appears in Oct 9-15, 2024.
