Hurricane Milton brought strong winds and heavy rain to Florida on Wednesday night. At 11:00 P.m. EDT on Wednesday the center of Hurricane Milton was located at latitude 27.6°N and longitude 82.0°W which put the center about 75 miles (120 km) southwest of Orlando, Florida. Milton was moving toward the east-northeast at 16 m.p.h. (26 km/h). The maximum sustained wind speed was 105 m.p.h. (165 km/h) and there were wind gusts to 125 m.p.h. (200 km/h). The minimum surface pressure was 960 mb.
A Hurricane Warning is in effect for the portion of the coast from Bonita Beach to the Mouth of the Suwanee River, Florida. The Hurricane Warning includes Tampa Bay. A Hurricane Warning is in effect for the portion of the coast from the St. Lucie/Martin County Line to Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
A Hurricane Watch is in effect for Lake Okeechobee. A Hurricane Watch is in effect for the portion of the coast from St. Lucie/Martin County Line to the Martin/Palm Beach County Line, Florida.
A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for the Florida Keys and the Dry Tortugas. A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for Lake Okeechobee. A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for the portion of the coast from Flamingo to Bonita Beach, Florida. A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for the portion of the coast from the Mouth of the Suwanee River to Indian Pass, Florida. A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for the portion of the coast from Flamingo to the St. Lucie/Martin County Line, Florida. A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for the portion of the coast from Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida to Edisto Beach, South Carolina. A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for the extreme Northwestern Bahamas including Grand Bahama Island, the Abacos and Bimini.
The center of Hurricane Milton made landfall on the west coast of Florida just south of Tampa on Wednesday evening. Milton was a major hurricane at the time of landfall. The heaviest rain fell just to the north of the center of Hurricane Milton. The Albert Whitted Airport in St, Petersburg reported 14.83 inches (377 mm) of rain. The Tampa International Airport reported 8.53 (217 mm) of rain.
A Flash Flood Emergency was in effect for the Tampa/St. Petersburg area.
The strongest winds were occurring in the northwestern part of Hurricane Milton. The Albert Whitted Airport in St. Petersburg reported a sustained wind speed of 61 m.p.h. (98 km/h) and a wind gust of 101 m.p.h. (163 km/h). The Tampa International Airport reported a sustained wind speed of 52 m.p.h. (84 km/h) and a wind gust of 85 m.p.h. (137 km/h). The Sarasota-Bradenton Airport reported a sustained wind speed of 69 m.p.h. (111 km/h) and a wind gust of 102 m.p.h. (171 km/h).
There were reports of almost two million customers without electricity.
The size of the circulation around Hurricane Milton increased as Milton approached the west coast of Florida. Winds to hurricane force extend out 35 miles (55 km) from the center of Milton’s circulation. Winds to tropical storm force extend out 250 miles (400 km) from the center of Hurricane Milton.
The Hurricane Intensity Index (HII) for Hurricane Milton is 17.8. The Hurricane Size Index (HSI) is 16.8 and the Hurricane Wind Intensity Size Index (HWISI) is 34.6. Hurricane Milton is almost as strong as Hurricane Sally was when Sally hit Alabama in 2020. Milton is larger than Sally was.
Hurricane Milton will move around the southern part of an upper level trough over the eastern U.S. The upper level trough will steer Milton toward the east-northeast during the next 24 hours. On its anticipated track Hurricane Milton will move steadily across Central Florida. Milton will move over the Atlantic Ocean east of Cape Canaveral on Thursday morning.
Even though Hurricane Milton will weaken as it moves across Central Florida, Milton will continue bring strong winds and heavy rain to the region.
Hurricane Warnings are in effect for many of the counties in Central Florida. Those Hurricane Warnings include Orlando.
. Heavy rains will cause floods in some locations.
Flood Watches are in effect for much of the Florida Peninsula.
Milton will also continue to produce a storm surge the west coast of Florida until the winds subside on Thursday.
A Storm Surge Warning is in effect for the portion of the coast from Flamingo to the Anclote River, Florida. The Storm Surge Warning includes Tampa Bay and Charlotte Harbor. A Storm Surge Warning is also in effect for the portion of the coast from Sebastian Inlet, Florida to Altamaha Sound, Georgia.
Elsewhere over the Atlantic Ocean, Hurricane Leslie intensified to Category 2 on the Saffir-Simpson Scale east-northeast of the Northern Leeward Islands. At 11:00 p.m. EDT on Wednesday the center of Hurricane Leslie was located at latitude 22.6°N and longitude 49.3°W which put the center about 945 miles (1515 km) east-northeast of the Northern Leeward Islands. Leslie was moving toward the northwest at 8 m.p.h. (13 km/h). The maximum sustained wind speed was 105 m.p.h. (165 km/h) and there were wind gusts to 125 m.p.h. (200 km/h). The minimum surface pressure was 972 mb.