Major Hurricane Milton has smashed into the central west Gulf coast of Florida, bringing widespread tornadoes, flash flooding, and destructive storm surge to many coastal communities. According to the National Hurricane Center, Milton will move across the central part of the Florida peninsula overnight and emerge off the east coast of Florida on Thursday; they expect Milton to remain a hurricane, albeit a weakening one, as it travels to the Atlantic coast. Beyond there, the system is forecast to weaken over the western Atlantic and become extratropical by Thursday night. Landfall occurred near Siesta Key by Sarasota.
A large area of destructive storm surge, with highest inundations of 10 feet or greater, is expected along a portion of the west-central coast of the Florida Peninsula. Near the coast the surge will be accompanied by damaging waves. Water levels will rise rapidly as the eye approaches, and strong onshore winds on the backside of the hurricane will also cause a rapid rise in water as the center makes landfall.
Devastating hurricane-force winds are expected along portions of the west coast of Florida within the Hurricane Warning area. Life-threatening hurricane-force winds, especially in gusts, are expected to spread inland across the peninsula and to portions of the Florida east coast within the Hurricane Warning area tonight and early Thursday. The National Hurricane Center says that residents should be prepared to take shelter in an interior room, away from windows, as the core of the hurricane moves across the central Florida Peninsula.
The risk of strong tornadoes will continue into the evening hours across the southern and central portions of the Florida Peninsula. “Be prepared to take immediate shelter in an interior room if a Tornado Warning is issued for your area,” warns the National Hurricane Center.
Heavy rainfall across the Florida Peninsula through Thursday brings the risk of catastrophic and life-threatening flash and urban flooding along with moderate to major river flooding, especially in areas where coastal and inland flooding combine to increase the overall flood threat.
While Florida residents will be able to clean up from the second hurricane to impact the state in as many weeks, they still need to have their guards up. Long range guidance is suggesting the Gulf of Mexico will remain open for business for future tropical cyclones, including another possible hurricane threat to Florida in about 10 days. While the details of such a storm or whether or not it’ll actually form is not yet etched in concrete, people along the U.S. Gulf and East Coasts need to remember that the Atlantic Hurricane Season continues through to the end of November.