The outer bands of Hurricane Milton reached the Florida coast this morning bringing heavy rains, strong winds and spawning at least two tornadoes. The storm, which is growing in size, is expected to make landfall along Florida’s west coast tonight.
The powerful storm arrives as many Florida communities continue to cleanup debris from last month’s Hurricane Helene.
Milton now is a Category 4 hurricane with maximum winds of 155 mph. It is expected to make landfall between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m. Thursday near greater Tampa, according to AccuWeather. It could drop as much as 18 inches of rain, and drive storm surges as high as 15 feet in some areas.
The latest forecasts suggest Milton will overspread much of the Florida peninsula.
In an update at 11 a.m. today, National Hurricane Center Director Michael Brennan said Milton is expected to damage even well-built structures, and destroy mobile homes. He also said trees will be toppled or uprooted, and there will be significant flash and urban flooding.
Because of the massive evacuation, about 22% of the state’s gas stations report being out of gas, according to GasBuddy. Some truck stops and travel centers have closed or will be closing because of the storm.
Pilot announced the following Florida locations will be closed until further notice:
- Pilot #94 – Punta Gorda – Closing at 11 a.m. ET
- One9 #89 – Ellenton – Closing at 11:45 a.m. ET
- Flying J #625 – Seffner – Closing at 12:30 p.m. ET
- Flying J #624 – Dade City – Closing at 1:15 p.m. ET
Love’s reports:
- its North Fort Myers store at Exit 143 I-7517308 Park 78 Drive, North Fort Myers, FL 33917 has limited operations and Truck Care is closed
- its Lake Wales store at Exit CR-17B/Hunt Brothers Rd. Highway 2717309 Hwy 27, Lake Wales, FL 33853 has limited operations and Truck Care closed
TravelCenters of America reports:
- TA Express Tampa closed
- TA Wildwood closed
- Petro Ocala closed
- TA Vero Beach closing at 5 p.m.
Credit: Source link
