Hurricane Milton will impact most of Florida, including St. Johns

The storm, which was expected to bring heavy rain to Florida, strengthened into Hurricane Milton on Sunday, and the National Hurricane Center expects it to strengthen into a Category 3 hurricane by Wednesday, when it lands on Florida’s Gulf Coast.

Milton recorded sustained winds of 85 mph in the NHC’s 8 p.m. bulletin on Sunday, and winds are expected to intensify to sustained winds of 92 mph with maximum gusts of 115 mph on Monday. Sustained winds of 115 mph are expected through Tuesday, followed by gusts of 138 mph. And by Wednesday, forecasters expect sustained winds of 121 mph and gusts of 240 mph.

The official forecast Sunday evening showed Milton hitting Florida near Bradenton and Sarasota as a severe Category 3 storm Wednesday afternoon, then moving east-northeast and exiting the state south of Cape Canaveral. But the cone of uncertainty affected almost the entire peninsula.

On Sunday, Gov. Ron DeSantis expanded his original state of emergency to 51 of Florida’s 67 counties. The counties included in the governor’s emergency declaration are Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Brevard, Broward, Charlotte, Citrus, Clay, Collier, Columbia, DeSoto, Dixie, Duval, Flagler, Gilchrist, Glades, Hamilton, Hardee, Hendry, Hernando, Highlands , Hillsborough, Indian River, Lafayette, Lake, Lee, Levy, Madison, Manatee, Marion, Martin, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Nassau, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Sarasota, Seminole , St. Johns, St. Lucie, Sumter, Suwanee, Taylor, Union and Volusia.

He also directed that “Florida’s forces currently assisting in North Carolina and Tennessee bring back necessary equipment and personnel prior to Milton’s landing.” These assets include the Florida State Guard, the Florida National Guard, the Federal Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the Highway Patrol and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

“A major hurricane is the most likely outcome,” he said. “This is not a good path for the state of Florida.”

To add insult to injury, heavy rain is expected off Milton on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, according to the National Hurricane Center. This also includes St. Johns County – and of course St. Augustine.

Wave action and storm surge are already impacting the Gulf Coast and are expected to increase throughout the week.

The Federal Emergency Management Association is temporarily closing all disaster recovery centers in Florida at the close of business, Monday, October 7, in preparation for severe weather.

“The centers will reopen when weather conditions improve and inspections are completed,” a press release said.

Ryan Truchelut, WeatherTiger’s chief meteorologist, described Hurricanes Helene and Milton as devastating one-two punches.

“The exact forecast trajectory is not critical as impacts will be widespread across the Florida peninsula,” he wrote for the Tallahassee Democrat, part of the USA TODAY Network-Florida, which includes The Record. “Milton will be a powerful storm, building a life-threatening wall of water for days, regardless of what wind-based hurricane category Milton ultimately reaches when it makes landfall.”

Hurricane Milton will impact most of Florida, including St. Johns

ByJasper

By Jasper

Related Post

Questions for the Knicks on Media Day (UPDATED)

Watt records his 100th career sack

Pittsburgh Steelers QB Russell Wilson could end up back in the AFC West

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You missed

Questions for the Knicks on Media Day (UPDATED)

Watt records his 100th career sack

Pittsburgh Steelers QB Russell Wilson could end up back in the AFC West

Dak Prescott makes mistakes but manages to lead the Cowboys to victory over the Steelers