Hurricane Milton has intensified even further after rapidly developing into a major Category 5 hurricane, with maximum sustained winds of 175 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).
“Hurricane #Milton Advisory 10A: Milton Explosively Intensifies With 175-Mph Winds,” the NHC said in an update Monday afternoon, urging residents to follow the advice of local officials.
The update comes as 51 counties in Florida are under a state of emergency, including: Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Brevard, Broward, Charlotte, Citrus, Clay, Collier, Columbia, DeSoto, Dixie, Duval, Flagler, Gilchrist, Glades, Hamilton, Hardee, Hendry, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Indian River, Lafayette Lake, Lee, Levy, Madison, Manatee, Marion, Martin, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Nassau, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Johns, St. Lucie, Sumter, Suwanee, Taylor, Union and Volusia.
Current tracks of the storm show it coming in on the west side of the state somewhere near the Tampa Bay area, where it is expected to make an exit on the east side of the state.
“This is the real deal here with Milton,” Tampa Mayor Jane Castor stated. “If you want to take on Mother Nature, she wins 100% of the time.”
President Biden on Monday “declared that an emergency exists in the State of Florida and ordered Federal assistance to supplement State, tribal, and local response efforts due to the emergency conditions resulting from Hurricane Milton beginning on October 5, 2024, and continuing.”
“It is expected to make landfall on the west coast of Florida sometime between Wednesday evening or perhaps even very early on Thursday,” DeSantis said during a Monday morning update on the storm, which is triggering mass evacuations.
“If that continues, it’s going to push back when landfall will happen. Of course, you can see impacts prior to the eye wall making landfall. We have made a pre-landfall declaration request to FEMA for support … and we anticipate positive approval on that,” he added.
Thousands are currently being evacuated.