JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The National Hurricane Center upgraded Milton to a category 1 Sunday afternoon with winds clocking in at 80 mph, movement east at 6 mph, located 815 miles from Tampa.
Hurricane and storm surge watches are expected to be issued along the west coast of Florida today, as well. While the track remains uncertain, preparations must be taken seriously, as impact along the west coast of Florida is imminent.
Latest forecast shows the storm becoming a category 3 by 2 p.m. Tuesday.
The center of Hurricane Milton was located by an Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft near latitude 22.5 North, longitude 94.0 West.
Milton is moving toward the east near 6 mph (9 km/h), and this general motion is expected today. An eastward to east-northeastward motion is forecast on Monday, followed by a faster northeastward motion on Tuesday and Wednesday. On the forecast track, Milton is forecast to move north of the Yucatan Peninsula and to move across the Gulf of Mexico and approach the west coast of the Florida Peninsula by midweek. Maximum sustained winds have increased to near 80 mph (130 km/h) with higher gusts. Milton is forecast to rapidly intensify during the next couple of days and become a major hurricane on Monday. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 20 miles (30 km) from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 80 miles (130 km) from the center. The estimated minimum central pressure is 988 mb (29.18 inches) based on Air Force dropsonde data.
Our weather will be impacted on Wednesday due to Milton. Rain chances increase following the Most Likely Scenario below. We have an 80% chance of rain, damaging winds, and hazardous weather on Wednesday.