Hurricane Milton forecast to rapidly intensify to Category 4 as Florida braces for life-threatening impacts

TAMPA – Millions of people across the Florida Peninsula are on alert as Hurricane Milton is rapidly intensifying in the Gulf of Mexico while it continues on a path toward the Sunshine State. The hurricane is expected to reach Category 4 status before bringing a potentially life-threatening storm surge, damaging winds and torrential rain to the state this week.”Milton is rapidly intensifying,” the National Hurricane Center wrote Sunday night. “Satellite images indicate very deep convection in the eyewall and hints of an eye starting to appear.”Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and other state officials held a news conference on Sunday morning and said evacuations are likely, and time is running out to prepare for the hurricane’s potentially deadly impacts.TRACKING HURRICANE MILTON: SPAGHETTI MODELS, FORECAST CONE, LIVE RADAR AND MORE”I urge Floridians to finalize your storm preparations now; enact your plan,” Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie said. “I highly encourage you to evacuate. We are preparing, and I have the State Emergency Response Team preparing, for the largest evacuation that we have seen most likely since 2017 Hurricane Irma.”If Hurricane Milton makes landfall in Florida, it will be the third to do so this season following the landfalls of Debby in August and Helene in September.The situation has been rapidly unfolding, with forecasters at the National Hurricane Center (NHC) first designating the storm as Tropical Depression Fourteen early Saturday morning, then hours later issuing a special alert announcing the development of Tropical Storm Milton. About 24 hours later, Milton intensified into a hurricane early Sunday afternoon. With the latest advisory from the NHC, Milton is forecast to continue to rapidly intensify, reaching Category 4 strength by Tuesday before slightly weakening ahead of landfall in Florida on Wednesday. However, forecasters warn that Milton will likely still strike Florida as a major hurricane (Category 3 or higher).DOWNLOAD THE FREE FOX WEATHER APPFlorida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a State of Emergency for dozens of counties on Saturday, but as the forecast for Hurricane Milton began to become more dire, he amended that order to include 51 of the state’s 67 counties.”This is allowing state officials to operate without the limitations of bureaucracy, making critical resources available to communities ahead of any potential storm impacts,” DeSantis said on Sunday.While residents continue to prepare for the potentially deadly impacts of Hurricane Milton, the state, too, is “preparing for the worst while hoping for the best.”DeSantis said the state has already sent high-water rescue vehicles to Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, and more resources will be sent to counties at risk of seeing impacts from Hurricane Milton.”The Florida National Guard, the Florida State Guard additional FDOT personnel and the Florida Highway Patrol have been activated and deployed to aid in debris removal and provide logistical support to local entities,” DeSantis said.More than 800 guardsmen are currently deployed to remove debris in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, and DeSantis said up to 4,000 guardsmen will soon be available for time-sensitive debris removal.As Hurricane Milton’s impacts approach Florida, officials have started to order evacuations and close schools so people have time to prepare and get away from the coast and other low-lying areas.DeSantis and Guthrie have urged people to learn if they’re in an evacuation zone and be prepared to act.”Know your evacuation zone,” DeSantis warned. “There will be voluntary and mandatory evacuations in effect in a number of communities throughout the state of Florida. If you’re on the west coast of Florida and barrier islands, just assume that you likely are going to be called upon to evacuate.”Some evacuations have also been ordered for portions of Pinellas and Manatee counties, and more are expected.In addition, schools in the region, including those in Southwest and Central Florida, have decided to close this week because of the anticipated hurricane. HOW TO WATCH FOX WEATHERHurricane Milton is located more than 765 miles west-southwest of Tampa, Florida, and has maximum sustained winds of 90 mph, making it a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.Milton is moving off to the east at 7 mph.No watches or warnings are in effect for the mainland U.S. However, the National Hurricane Center said Storm Surge and Hurricane Watches will likely be issued for parts of Florida Sunday night or early Monday. The government of Mexico has issued a Hurricane Watch for the northern coast of the Yucatan Peninsula from Celestun to Cabo Catoche, and a Tropical Storm Warning from east of Cabo Catoche to Cancun. The National Hurricane Center says Hurricane Milton is moving off to the east, and that general motion is expected to continue.After that, an east to east-northeastward motion is forecast on Monday, followed by a faster northeastward motion on Tuesday and Wednesday.On that track, Hurricane Milton is expected to move north of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, then move across the Gulf of Mexico and approach the west coast of the Florida Peninsula on Wednesday.”While it is too soon to specify the exact magnitude and location of the greatest impacts, there is an increasing risk of life-threatening storm surge and damaging winds for portions of the west coast of the Florida Peninsula beginning early Wednesday,” the NHC said.