Tropical Storm Milton could become a hurricane as soon as Sunday, leaving a devastating impact somewhere along Florida’s already battered Gulf Coast.
The Tampa Bay region, still reeling from massive coastal flooding from Helene — the worst hurricane in a century — remained in the crosshairs of Milton, a small but rapidly strengthening storm expected to become a major Category 3 hurricane before it will bulldoze the Gulf Coast.
At 8 a.m. Sunday, the center of the National Hurricane Center’s forecast track literally entered the mouth of Tampa Bay, which is surrounded by communities already inundated by a record storm surge following Helene’s passage just a week ago. Milton could potentially cause much worse on its current trajectory. The tropical storm, which packed winds of up to 60 miles per hour on Sunday morning, was expected to quickly become a hurricane over the hot waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
The path could change in the coming days before Milton makes landfall, but the hurricane will hit somewhere along the Gulf Coast late Tuesday night or early Wednesday.
The NHC sent Hurricane Hunter aircraft to Milton and was able to begin issuing hurricane and storm surge warnings as early as Sunday evening. Coastal evacuations are also likely to start on Sunday.
For South Florida, the impact will depend on Milton’s trajectory. Miami-Dade, Broward and Monroe counties remain outside the NHC’s “cone of concern” early Sunday, but that could change. At the very least, heavy rains could drench much of the region starting Wednesday.
Much of the region is already under a flash flood warning, with some areas likely to see eight inches or more of rain from a separate system that is expected to cause flooding on streets – and possibly homes. If Milton’s path shifts south, tropical storm force winds could also sweep across the area.
READ MORE: Before a hurricane brings more rain, South Florida will experience flooding in the coming days
Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency in 35 counties, including Miami-Dade and Broward, and ordered state agencies to help speed up cleanup in counties that still have piles of Helene’s debris on their roads.
