With storm data showing Hurricane Milton’s projected landfall south of Tampa, a National Hurricane Center official said Treasure Coast residents should prepare and plan for hurricane conditions after a Wednesday landfall on the Gulf Coast.
Milton intensified into a Category 5 storm with 160 mph sustained winds and higher gusts recorded by Air Force Reserve aircraft, according to the National Hurricane Center. A Category 5 hurricane starts at 157 mph winds.
Milton has been forecast to be a Category 3 storm at Wednesday landfall likely somewhere near Sarasota with a north-northeastward path crossing the state south of Orlando and north of Melbourne, a National Weather Service meteorologist said.
The ultimate landfall has a “cone of uncertainty” covering north at Cedar Key south to Naples.
“That is a pretty wide area of landfall (potential),” said National Weather Service Meteorologist Jessie Schaper.
The storm is moving east southeast at 8 mph and was about 735 miles southwest of Tampa.
“We have good confidence the storm will track across Central Florida,” said meteorologist Kole Fehling, with the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Melbourne.
What to expect Monday on the Treasure Coast
Monday, showers and possibly a thunderstorm are expected all day and night, with a high near 81 degrees and possible gusts up to 20 mph. There's new rainfall expected between three quarters and 1 inch possible, according to the National Weather Service.
The rain is not in relation to Milton; but with a weather pattern ahead of the storm. A flood watch has been in effect for the region since Sunday morning until the storm passes. There's a high risk of rip tides on the entire Atlantic coast.
The rain could ease up Tuesday ahead of Milton's arrival on the west coast.
Live storm tracker: See active storms in Atlantic
Hurricane-force or tropical-storm force wind gust conditions could arrive in the area Wednesday and 4-6 inches of rain is forecast leading up to and through the storm, Fehling said. Tropical storm-force winds are 39 to 73 mph; a Category 1 storm has winds 74-95 mph.
Anywhere from 5-10 inches, with isolated 15 inches of rainfall, is forecast for Central Florida areas north of the Treasure Coast with the storm’s current path.
Impacts to the area could change depending on its trajectory across the state and whether landfall is more to the north or south along the west coast.
If that path shifts south it would raise possible local rainfall amounts, Fehling said.
Schaper said Treasure Coast residents should prepare for a Category 1 hurricane condition or “at least a Tropical Storm.”
Milton was expected to arrive late Tuesday to Wednesday with heavy rainfall and gusty winds.
National Hurricane Center Deputy Director Jamie Rhome said the agency is updating the storm direction, or cone, with its track and intensity every six hours; and storm position and forward speed every three hours.
It is forecast to rapidly intensify before wind sheer weakens it to possibly a Category 3.
Should I put up hurricane shutters?
The best time to put up your shutters depends if your area is under a hurricane watch, according to the National Weather Service Melbourne meteorologist Jared Hile. On the Treasure Coast, he said, the best time to do it would be Monday or Tuesday.
Treasure Coast in governor's 'state of emergency'
Gov. Ron DeSantis has declared a state of emergency for 51 of Florida's 67 counties ahead of Hurricane Milton, which could bring Category 3 winds of 110 to 129 mph and flooding to already heavily damaged Gulf Coast communities and beyond.
Declaring a state of emergency allows the state and local governments much more freedom to coordinate their emergency agencies, relax restrictions, cut through red tape and reallocate resources to quickly deal with an imminent or ongoing threat that local services can't handle on their own. The counties under 'state of emergency" are:
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 counties.
Sunday:Wind, rain expected on Treasure Coast as Hurricane Milton heads for Florida
When to expect watches, advisories for Hurricane Milton
Hurricane watches went into effect for inland east central Florida counties extending across the state into neighboring Osceola and Okeechobee counties, according to the National Weather Service.
A hurricane watch means hurricane conditions are possible within the designated area in the next 48 hours, while hurricane conditions are considered sustained winds of 74 mph or higher, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Hurricane-force winds extend 25 miles from the storm outward, and tropical-storm-force winds 80 miles beyond the storm.
“As you get closer and closer … to landfall, the confidence gets higher,” Rhome said.
A flood watch has been in effect for the Treasure Coast since Sunday morning until the storm passes.
Rhome said is the time to replenish hurricane supply inventories adequate to last several days in the event of power outages.
Those with medical issues who need access to electricity he said should take into account several days of power outages and “might have to consider friends and family members to relocate to.”
Those with generators, he said should make sure they have adequate ventilation and have researched how to safely use the gasoline-powered devices to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning in homes.
Are schools closing on the Treasure Coast ahead of Milton?
Treasure Coast school districts and colleges on Monday were monitoring the path of Hurricane Milton. Here's the latest information.
TCPalm's Hurricane Guide for 2024
Here's TCPalm's Hurricane Guide, where you can find information on evacuation zones and routes and shelters in each county.
(This story has been updated with new information.)
More:DeSantis on Hurricane Milton: Florida preparing to open highway shoulders for evacuations
More:Hurricane Milton could reach Category 4 on track toward Florida as rains start falling Sunday
Corey Arwood is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm and Treasure Coast Newspapers. Follow@coreyarwoodon X, emailcorey.arwood@tcpalm.comor call 772-978-2246.
