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Hurricane Milton tracker: May be one of Florida's worst storms in 100 years

Hurricane Milton is forecast to make landfall in Florida late Wednesday night.

Last Updated: October 8, 2024, 1:58 PM EDT

Hurricane Milton, now a powerful Category 4 hurricane, is taking aim at Florida's west coast. Landfall is expected late Wednesday night, possibly as a Category 3 hurricane.

Milton is closing in as Floridians are still recovering from the devastation unleashed by Hurricane Helene.

Latest headlines:

31 minutes ago
Over 700 flights canceled Tuesday, another 1,500 canceled Wednesday
1 hour ago
'Storm of the century' for Tampa
2 hours ago
Counties issue mandatory evacuation orders
2 hours ago
Biden: Milton could be one of Florida's worst storms in 100 years

Here's how the news is developing.

Oct 8, 11:30 am

Tracking Milton: Latest forecast

Milton is now a Category 4 hurricane and its outer bands will start lashing Florida's west coast by Wednesday morning.

This weather map shows the forecast path of Hurricane Milton through Friday morning.
ABC News

Landfall is expected around 11 p.m. Wednesday between St. Petersburg and Sarasota, possibly as a Category 3 hurricane.

Tampa Bay is forecast to face a record-breaking storm surge of 10 to 15 feet.

This weather map shows the storm surge for Hurricane Milton.
ABC News

Storm surge in Fort Myers could reach 6 to 10 feet.

As Milton moves over Florida, winds ahead of the system could push storm surge up to 5 feet in Jacksonville and up to 4 feet in Savannah.

Wind gusts could climb over 130 mph in the St. Petersburg area.

Up to 18 inches of rain is possible by the end of the storm.

-ABC News’ Max Golembo

31 minutes ago

Over 700 flights canceled Tuesday, another 1,500 canceled Wednesday

Over 700 flights have been canceled across the country on Tuesday and another 1,500 flights are canceled on Wednesday as Hurricane Milton closes in on Florida.

The St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport, Tampa International Airport, Orlando International Airport, Orlando Sanford International Airport and Sarasota Bradenton International Airport are all set to close.

Southwest Airlines employees cover the ticket counters with plastic wrap just before Tampa International Airport was closing due to the possible arrival of Hurricane Milton, Oct. 8, 2024, in Tampa, Fla.
Chris O'meara/AP

The Florida Division of Emergency Services said it has partnered with Uber to provide free rides to and from shelters as residents evacuate ahead of Milton.

37 minutes ago

United: All flights leaving storm zone are full

United Airlines added extra flights and bigger planes to airports in the storm zone, and now the airline says all of its flights are full.

United currently has 25,000 people booked from affected airports.

-ABC News’ Sam Sweeney

1 hour ago

'Storm of the century' for Tampa

"We’ve never seen anything like this before," Tampa police chief Lee Bercaw warned Tuesday as Milton approaches. "This is the storm of the century."

Susana Ortiz fills out sand bags on the beach at the Davis Islands Yacht Basin as she prepares for the arrival of Hurricane Milton, Oct. 8, 2024, in Tampa, Fla.
Julio Cortez/AP

Tampa Bay is forecast to face a record-breaking storm surge of 10 to 15 feet. That surge will rise above a single-story home, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor stressed.

"That’s the coffin that you’re in," she said at a news conference.

Castor said she spoke to President Joe Biden Monday night and relayed that the city’s most important need was getting household debris from Hurricane Helene "off of the street so that doesn’t become additional fuel for Hurricane Milton."

In Hillsborough County, which encompasses Tampa, more than 1,700 people were already in nine shelters as of Tuesday morning, county emergency management director Timothy Dudley Jr. said, adding that the facilities are prepared to take a lot more people.

"Don’t panic. You have time. Get somewhere safe," he said.

2 hours ago

Counties issue mandatory evacuation orders

Mandatory evacuation orders have been issued in parts of counties along Florida's west coast and even Florida's east coast, including in Charlotte, Citrus, Collier, Hernando, Hillsborough, Lee, Levy, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Sarasota, St. Johns and Volusia.

Salvage workers remove debris from Hurricane Helene flooding along the Gulf of Mexico before Milton arrives, Clearwater Beach, Fla., Oct. 7, 2024.
Chris O'Meara/AP

"If you live in a storm surge evacuation zone and you're asked to leave by your local officials, please do that," Michael Brennan, the director of NOAA's national hurricane center, told ABC News Live on Sunday. "You don't have to drive hundreds of miles to get to a safe place, often just tens of miles to get inland, out of that evacuation zone, to a shelter, a friend or loved one's home."

Brennan also urged Floridians to prepare a disaster kit with several days’ worth of nonperishable food, water, medicine and batteries.