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Hurricane Milton’s edge reached the Florida coast
The center of Hurricane Milton, one of the most powerful storms to hit the Gulf of Mexico, is expected to make landfall on the Florida coast in the coming hours. The Category 3 hurricane is expected to strike south of Tampa, in the Sarasota area.
But already, large parts of the state were taking a pounding, with tornado warnings across Florida. Here’s the latest.
Tampa residents rushed to flee yesterday as officials warned that time was running out to evacuate. Residents carrying sleeping bags, backpacks and beloved pets made last-minute dashes to dozens of emergency shelters around the state. This is what it looks like on the ground.
The mayor of Tampa warned that the storm surge from Milton could be between 12 and 15 feet (3.6 and 4.6 meters), more than double what the city saw nearly two weeks ago during Hurricane Helene. “That is something that is historical,” she said.
Climate change: Raymond Zhong, a Times climate reporter, explained in this video how rising ocean temperatures contributed to the quick explosion of strength by Hurricanes Milton and Helene.
