NORTH CENTRAL FLORIDA (352today.com) – Milton has officially been upgraded to a Category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds reaching 80 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).
The storm is currently moving east at 6 mph but is expected to shift to a northeast trajectory as it intensifies. The NHC projects Milton will make landfall as a powerful Category 3 hurricane on Wednesday morning somewhere along the Gulf Coast.
Ahead of the storm’s arrival, the NHC says that heavy rainfall is forecasted to affect portions of Florida on Sunday and Monday, with the more intense rain tied directly to Milton arriving late Tuesday into Wednesday night. This rainfall poses a risk of flash flooding, urban flooding, and river flooding in affected areas.
The NHC has issued warnings that storm surge and hurricane watches could be put in place as early as this evening, with increasing risks of life-threatening storm surges and damaging winds for parts of the west coast of the Florida peninsula beginning Tuesday night or early Wednesday.
For the latest sandbag and shelter information, and to prepare for the storm, bookmark our Hurricane Weather Center.
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