Hurricane Milton, a powerful Category 4 storm, is forecast to double in size as it barrels toward Florida. The storm’s trajectory also made a dramatic shift overnight as it moved slightly south.
The storm is expected to make landfall near the city of Venice between midnight and 2 a.m. Thursday.
The massive storm will affect the majority of the state.
“The entire peninsula portion of Florida is under some type of either a watch or a warning,” said Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in a press conference.
Mandatory evacuations are in place up and down Florida’s Gulf Coast, with officials issuing stark messages to residents.
"[Hurricane Helene] was a wake-up call. This is literally catastrophic. I can say without any dramatization whatsoever if you choose to stay in one of those evacuation areas, you’re gonna die," said Tampa Mayor Jane Castor.
Highways in the state are jam-packed as people evacuate or move their cars to higher ground.
Crews at Tampa General Hospital are preparing to stay open during the storm, as they once again set up a flood barrier just weeks after Hurricane Helene struck the state. A fence put up at the hospital’s perimeter can protect the building from storm surges up to 15 feet above sea level.
The looming storm also forced the closure of at least three of the major theme parks in Orlando — Disney World, Universal and SeaWorld all shut down operations on Wednesday. Orlando International Airport also is preparing to close on Wednesday, following the lead of Tampa International Airport, which suspended operations on Monday.
The Tampa area is projected to get up to 15 feet of storm surge. The East Coast of the state, which will likely see the hurricane as a weaker Category 1 by the time it gets there, should expect 3 to 6 feet of storm surge.
Areas from Tampa and across the state to Daytona Beach are expected to have extreme, life-threatening flash flooding.
