Hurricane Milton tracker: Florida warns ‘once in a lifetime’ storm approaches as Helen is cleared

The Pinellas County Sheriff has issued an emergency warning for residents to “shelter in place” as the region continues to recover from Hurricane Helen.

According to the NHC’s latest report, the National Hurricane Center said Milton is heading east as a Category 1 hurricane, and that Milton will become a “severe hurricane with multiple life-threatening hazards” and will reach Florida by midweek. It is predicted that it will likely make landfall on the state’s Gulf Coast. update.

This comes less than two weeks after Helen made landfall in Big Bend, Florida as a devastating Category 4 hurricane on September 26th, killing more than 220 people as it cut its path from southeast to north. It occurred.

Now, the Pinellas County Sheriff has issued a warning ahead of Milton potentially making landfall as a Category 3 hurricane on Wednesday.

“This is going to be bad. That’s all you need to know,” Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said at an emergency news conference Sunday afternoon. “We just need everyone to get out.”

He added: “In the past, there have been mandatory shelter-in-place orders and bars have remained open. Restaurants have remained open. And people have been in stores just doing their jobs. That’s not the case this time. It’s not going to happen. We can’t have a repeat of the tragedy that happened a week and a half ago, so we’re shutting you down.”

Heavy rain could impact Florida even before Milton makes landfall Wednesday.

The Florida Keys and parts of Florida’s peninsula could see 5 to 8 inches of rain as the storm inclines, with local rainfall totals reaching up to 15 inches, according to the National Hurricane Center. There is.

Hurricane Milton’s threat to Florida is further heightened by the fact that Florida is still recovering from the damage left by Hurricane Helen days earlier.

Experts have warned that Milton, which is expected to make landfall in midweek, could cause further damage in a region already plagued by debris, weakened infrastructure and a glut of resources. .

“There are areas where there is a lot of debris. If a major hurricane hits, what will happen to that debris? The damage will increase dramatically,” said Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Alex DaSilva, AccuWeather’s chief hurricane expert, warned that debris from Helen “could turn into an airborne missile or be swept away by flooding or storm surge.”

Storm surge in Milton could exceed what many people experienced during Helen, meteorologists warned, and urged residents to heed evacuation orders.

“Rescue will be extremely dangerous, if not impossible, in this storm,” DaSilva said.

Hurricane Milton could be a “historic, once-in-a-lifetime storm for Floridians,” according to AccuWeather.

The Milton is hurtling toward Florida’s Gulf Coast, with what could be the most devastating impact in modern history, especially for the heavily populated Tampa Bay region, private forecasters said.

“Milton has the potential to be one of the costliest and costliest hurricanes in Florida,” said John Porter, AccuWeather’s chief meteorologist. It said there were life-threatening dangers, including strong winds and destructive winds.

AccuWeather experts rated Milton a 4 out of 5 on the Hurricane RealImpact Scale.

Meteorologists say the storm’s path remains uncertain, but small fluctuations could drastically change its impact.

If Milton tracks further south, areas already devastated by Hurricane Ian’s storm surge, such as Fort Myers and Naples, could face further destruction.

But a path farther north could result in storm surges as high as 20 feet in parts of Tampa Bay.

Alex DaSilva, AccuWeather’s chief hurricane expert, warned that the remnants of Hurricane Helen could be deadly if it makes landfall in Milton, and urged residents to follow evacuation orders.

Florida is preparing for the largest evacuation since Hurricane Irma in 2017 as Hurricane Milton hurtles toward the state’s west coast.

Florida Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie urged the public to prepare for “probably the largest evacuation since Hurricane Irma in 2017.”

“I strongly recommend that you evacuate,” he said at a press conference.

Officials have warned that more than 500,000 residents of Pinellas County, which includes St. Petersburg, could be ordered to evacuate starting Monday as the storm intensifies.

Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said at a news conference that this was a mandatory evacuation order because so many people ignored Helen’s orders that 12 people died in the county and 1,500 emergency calls went unanswered. He said it was possible.

Evacuations of hospitals, nursing homes and care facilities have already begun, affecting more than 6,600 patients, and schools are scheduled to close early this week.

Hurricane Milton is expected to make landfall near heavily populated Tampa Bay by Wednesday, potentially bringing devastating storm surge and widespread destruction to areas still recovering from Hurricane Helen.

Hurricane Milton rapidly strengthened in the Gulf of Mexico yesterday, strengthening from a tropical storm to a Category 1 hurricane, according to the US National Hurricane Center.

Milton had sustained wind speeds of up to 85 mph (140 km/h) and was located approximately 780 miles (1,255 km) west-southwest of Tampa, Florida, moving eastward at 7 mph (11 km).

Forecasters warned that the storm could intensify in the coming days and reach major hurricane status before making landfall on Florida’s west coast by midweek.

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