Hurricane Watches Extend Over More Than Half Of Florida

Hurricane Watches are now up for a good part of Florida as Hurricane Milton continues to grow in strength. The storm is now a high end Category 4 at 155 mph. That's just 1 mph below a Category 5 storm which may be what we see in the next update. Here's a list of those counties in the hurricane watches and warnings. A Hurricane Watch is in effect for… Rio Lagartos to Cabo Catoche Campeche to south of Celestun Florida Gulf coast from Chokoloskee to the mouth of the SuwaneeRiver, including Tampa Bay Dry Tortugas Lake Okeechobee A Storm Surge Watch is in effect for… Florida Gulf coast from Flamingo northward to the mouth of theSuwannee River, including Charlotte Harbor and Tampa Bay A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for… Rio Lagartos to Cancun Campeche to south of Celestun A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for… Florida Gulf coast from Flamingo to south of Chokoloskee Florida Gulf coast north of the mouth of the Suwanee River toIndian Pass Lower, Middle, and Upper Florida Keys, including Florida Bay Hurricane Watches These areas listed encompass around half of the entire state of Florida and are sure to become hurricane warnings shortly. Florida's northeast coast will also likely be added. Possibly during the next update at 2pm. There's is "some" weakening expected before impact but this storm will impact a large part of the state of Florida. Also to note in this update, the track has nudged back a little to the north. No Change To The Surge Estimates This map is already pretty much maxed out, do they even have a color after red? The current projection of Hurricane Milton is a beeline for the bowl of Tampa Bay. All of that water being pushed into the bay will have no where to go and will spill over onto land. As a Fort Myers resident, I am very well aware of the devastation that can occur with this approaching wall of water. If you are in a flood zone, GET OUT. And bring your pets. I cannot stress this enough. More hurricane coverage can be found at our Hurricane Central page.