People in Florida are running out of time to evacuate ahead of Hurricane Milton making landfall along the state’s western coastline, now expected as early as Wednesday night.
As of 5 a.m. ET, Milton remained a Category 5 storm with maximum sustained wind speeds of 160 miles per hour, the National Hurricane Center said. It was 300 miles southwest of Tampa and traveling at 14 mph. Multiple hurricane, tropical storm and storm surge advisories are in effect in coastal areas in western Florida. The National Hurricane Center predicts the storm surge could get as high as 15 feet in some places, and rainfall totals could reach 18 inches.
The storm grew rapidly after forming in the Gulf of Mexico on Sunday. It is expected to make landfall overnight on Wednesday. Evacuation orders are growing, with hundreds of thousands told to leave.
