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Hurricane Milton tracker: Storm batters Florida hours from landfall

Milton is expected to make landfall Wednesday night as a Category 3 hurricane.

ByKevin Shalvey, Emily Shapiro, David Brennan, Julia Reinstein, and Leah Sarnoff
Last Updated: October 9, 2024, 6:07 PM EDT

Hurricane Milton, now a Category 3 hurricane, has the potential to be one of the most destructive hurricanes on record for west-central Florida.

Milton will make landfall on Florida's west coast Wednesday night, likely as a Category 3 hurricane. The state is bracing for life-threatening storm surge, damaging winds and flooding rain.

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news is developing.
Oct 9, 6:25 pm

Tracking Milton: Latest forecast

Hurricane Milton is heading toward west-central Florida as a Category 3 storm with 120 mph winds. Landfall is expected between 8:30 and 9:30 p.m. ET

The storm is about 50 miles west-southeast of Sarasota and moving at 15 mph.

The latest storm surge forecast is nine to 13 feet for Sarasota, six to nine feet for Tampa and eight to 12 feet for Fort Myers.

PHOTO: Milton Tornado Threat.
ABC News

Widespread heavy rain is impacting much of the Florida peninsula with tropical storm-force winds spreading inland.

A recent wind gust of 68 miles per hour was reported in Fort Myers Beach, Florida.

There have been at least 15 reported tornadoes across the Florida peninsula so far today with the majority of them across South Florida. Multiple tornadoes have been confirmed in South Florida so far, including the Miami-Dade area.

The tornado threat continues with several tornado warnings currently in effect across the eastern Florida peninsula, from west of West Palm Beach to just southeast of Orlando.

2 hours ago

Tampa faces biggest evacuation in decades: Police chief

The city of Tampa is home to about 500,000 people, and about 200,000 people tried to evacuate ahead of Hurricane Milton, Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw told ABC News Live.

"This the largest evacuation that we have done in the 53 years that I've been alive in Tampa, Florida. And this is definitely the storm of the century," he said.

People transit in a vehicle next to an AquaFence barrier at Tampa General Hospital, as Hurricane Milton approaches, in Tampa, Fla., Oct. 9, 2024.
Octavio Jones/Reuters

Bercaw said on Wednesday he met an elderly woman who didn't want to evacuate.

"She had actually inflated a flotation device and planned on floating in her home. And we were able to, fortunately, evacuate her," Bercaw said. "But there's probably more of her out there. And that's what our officers were doing all this morning, is going out to our most vulnerable communities and helping them to evacuate."

"We’re almost at that point with the winds speeding up where we were not going to be able to respond anymore," he said. "I can't, in good conscience, send my police officers out to assess people once it gets too dangerous, because after the storm, we need to be ready to go for our rescue and recovery efforts."

3 hours ago

At least 15 tornadoes reported

At least 15 tornadoes have been reported on Wednesday, mostly in South Florida.

An apparent tornado caused by Hurricane Milton, tore the awning off a 7-Eleven convenient store, Oct. 9, 2024, in Cape Coral, Fla.
Marta Lavandier/AP

A damaged home after a tornado touched down before Hurricane Milton's arrival, Oct. 9, 2024, in Fort Myers, Florida.
WZVN

Several tornado warnings are ongoing across the eastern Florida peninsula, from west of West Palm Beach to just southeast of Orlando.

3:14 PM EDT

24% of Florida gas stations without fuel: GasBuddy

As of Wednesday afternoon, 24% of Florida gas stations were without fuel, according to GasBuddy.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Wednesday that there’s no fuel shortage but he acknowledged "demand is high and some gas stations have run out."

The Florida Highway Patrol has been escorting fuel tankers to ensure continued supply, especially to ports like Tampa Bay and Manatee, which may face disruptions, he said.

"We've dispatched 1.6 million gallons of diesel and 1.1 million gallons of gasoline," he said.

3:13 PM EDT

Over 1,900 flights canceled, at least 6 airports closing

Over 1,900 flights have been canceled across the country 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, Palm Beach International Airport and Sarasota Bradenton International Airport are all closing for the storm.

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.

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