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Hurricane Milton tracker: Milton strengthens to Category 5 storm again

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

Last Updated: October 8, 2024, 6:05 PM EDT

Hurricane Milton, which re-strengthened to a Category 5 hurricane Tuesday afternoon, is taking aim at Florida's west coast. Landfall is expected late Wednesday night as a Category 3 hurricane.

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

Latest headlines:

1 hour ago
Milton strengthens to Category 5 again
2 hours ago
Disney World announces closure
3:17 PM EDT
White House using Reddit to try to combat hurricane misinformation
1:56 PM EDT
Over 700 flights canceled Tuesday, another 1,500 canceled Wednesday

Here's how the news is developing.

Oct 8, 5:11 pm

Tracking Milton: Latest forecast

Milton has the potential to be one of the most destructive hurricanes on record for west-central Florida.

Milton is forecast to weaken as it approaches Florida, but is expected to be a strong Category 3 hurricane when it makes landfall late Wednesday night or early Thursday near Tampa and Sarasota.

The Tampa area is bracing for a potentially record-breaking storm surge up to 15 feet. This would shatter the record-breaking storm surge set just two weeks ago from Hurricane Helene.

Storm surge could reach 12 feet in Fort Myers.

Because of Milton’s large size, tropical storm-force winds are expected across nearly all of Florida. These winds will likely cause widespread damage to property and trees and leave millions without power for days to weeks.

The highest rain totals are expected from Tampa to Orlando to Daytona, where an extreme flash flood risk -- the highest level -- is in effect.

Five to 12 inches of rain is in the forecast; locally up to 18 inches is expected.

-ABC News’ Melissa Griffin

3:17 PM EDT

White House using Reddit to try to combat hurricane misinformation

The White House is launching a Reddit account to try to combat misinformation about hurricanes Helene and Milton, a White House official said.

The White House will use the account to post about how people can access FEMA support. The account will also engage with posts that are sharing false information and correct the record, the official said.

A military convoy is seen ahead of Hurricane Milton's expected mid-week landfall in Sanford, Fla., Oct. 8, 2024.
Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo/AFP via Getty Images

-ABC News’ Cheyenne Haslett

1:56 PM EDT

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.

1:50 PM EDT

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

1:11 PM EDT

'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.