Hurricane Milton: Map Shows Areas Where Devastating Storm Will Hit

People across Florida are evacuating as the second major hurricane in as many weeks heads for the Peninsular.
Over 9 million people are currently under a hurricane warning in the Sunshine State, as Hurricane Milton creeps ever-closer over the Gulf of Mexico.
The warning covers some of the state’s largest cities, including Tampa, Orlando and St. Petersburg. Coastal communities on both coasts of the peninsular are being warned of storm surge risks, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).
The map below shows Milton’s collision course with Florida, with wind, rain and storm surges expected to arrive on Tuesday evening and intensify throughout Wednesday. The storm may lose some of its intensity before it makes landfall in the early hours of Thursday, but will still pose an extreme risk to anyone in its path.
The worst conditions in Tampa can be expected from 8:00 a.m. Wednesday through to 2:00 a.m. Thursday, according to AccuWeather forecasts. Meanwhile, in Orlando, the worst effects will be felt from 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday to 6:00 a.m. on Thursday.
Eight to 12 inches of rain are possible in both Tampa and Orlando, with winds in excess of 120 miles per hour, possibly approaching 140 miles per hour. In Tampa, the storm surge could be as high as 15 feet, which AccuWeather describes as “devastating.”
Residents to the north of the main path should be wary too. Jacksonville, for example, could see winds of up to 60 miles an hour through Wednesday night.
Orlando International Airport will close on Wednesday, following an announcement on X, formerly Twitter. “This move was made in coordination with our partners. We will resume commercial operations as soon as it is safe,” the airport said.
Disney World is also reportedly making preparations for the storm, though only parts of the park are closed.
“You do not want to wait for storm surge to start occurring before you take action,” AccuWeather chief meteorologist Jon Porter said in a statement to the media on Monday.
“We have seen so many preventable tragedies during Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Ian. Please get out of areas at risk of this devastating storm surge while you still can.”
According to Porter, the hardest hit areas could see surges as high as 23 feet. “We are very concerned that Hurricane Milton could become one of the most damaging and costliest storms that Florida has ever seen,” he said.
Porter advised the entire area from Tampa to Orlando and Daytona Beach to prepare for long-lasting power outages, infrastructure damage and cell phone issues. Flash flooding is another major issue as Florida’s sandy soils, which can usually handle a lot of rain, become waterlogged.
Milton is now the fifth strongest Atlantic storm ever thanks to extremely warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico which turbo-charged its growth.
“The ocean heat content is at the highest level on record for this time of year in the gulf, despite the recent passage of Helene,” AccuWeather lead hurricane forecaster Alex DaSilva told the media on Monday.
“The deep, warm waters have acted like rocket fuel for Milton, supporting rapid intensification.”
Milton developed from a Category 1 to a Category 5 storm on Monday morning in a matter of hours. It’s since dropped back to a Category 4 strength, but is capable of causing significant damage wherever it lands.
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