Hurricane Milton is fast approaching Florida, with the historic storm expected to make landfall on Wednesday. If you are in its path, you need to leave immediately.
Speaking to CNN, Tampa mayor Jane Castor urged people in the evacuation zones to get out, warning that it won’t be possible to simply ride out Hurricane Milton.
“There’s never been one like this,” said Castor. “This is literally catastrophic, and I can say without any dramatisation whatsoever [that] if you choose to stay in one of those evacuation areas, you’re going to die.”
Space footage shows Hurricane Milton explode into monster storm
Credit: National Weather Service’s National Hurricane Center
While it may be tempting to stay in your home, you need to get out right now. According to the National Weather Service (NWS), Hurricane Milton is on track to become the worst storm to hit the Tampa area in over 100 years, and is unlike any previous storms residents may have weathered. Milton “explosively” intensified from Category 1 to 5 in less than 24 hours, becoming the second fastest hurricane to ever do so, hitting wind speeds of 180 mph.
Hurricane Milton’s storm surge is expected to reach over 10ft in some areas as well. In comparison, last month’s Hurricane Helene reached over 6ft and incurred a confirmed death toll of over 200, making it the deadliest U.S. hurricane since Katrina killed over 1,800 people in 2005.
Support authors and subscribe to content
This is premium stuff. Subscribe to read the entire article.