Hurricane Milton latest as Florida prepares for storm surge
Category four Hurricane Milton has hit Mexico and the clock is now ticking for the storm making landfall in Florida. Many residents have evacuated, but road closures and traffic mean it is now too late for some people to leave the US state.
Hurricane Milton is expected to bring “life-threatening” winds and storm surge to Florida’s coast, according to the latest updates on the weather threat lingering in the Gulf of Mexico. The hurricane is a powerful tropical cyclone, currently impacting the Yucatán Peninsula.
The storm intensified into a Category 5 hurricane, the most severe type, on Monday before being downgraded to a Category 4. However, experts fear it could bring destruction to areas already devastated by Hurricane Helene just 12 days ago.
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The National Hurricane Center in the United States said in its latest update: "A large area of destructive storm surge, with highest inundations of 10ft or greater, is expected along a portion of the west-central coast of the Florida Peninsula.
"If you are in the Storm Surge Warning area, this is an extremely life-threatening situation, and you should evacuate today if ordered by local officials.
"There will likely not be enough time to wait to leave on Wednesday. Devastating hurricane-force winds are expected along portions of the west coast of Florida, where a hurricane warning is in effect.
“Milton is forecast to remain a hurricane as it crosses the Florida peninsula and life-threatening hurricane-force winds, especially in gusts, are expected to spread inland across the peninsula. Preparations to protect life and property, and to be ready for long-duration power outages, should be complete by tonight.
"Heavy rainfall across the Florida peninsula through Thursday brings the risk of life-threatening flash and urban flooding along with moderate to major river flooding, especially in areas where coastal and inland flooding combine to increase the overall flood threat."
Several theme parks remain open in Florida, despite the imminent arrival of the hurricane. Walt Disney World and Universal continue to operate, although the park said it has, for now, opted to close its campgrounds and rental cabins in wooded areas, the Mirror reports live.
Meanwhile, Orlando International Airport - the seventh busiest in the US - said it would cease operations on Wednesday morning. Pictures from the scene in Florida have shown empty shelves in shops as people stock up on supplies such as bottled water.
New satellite pictures showed the enormity of Hurricane Milton as it approaches Florida. They were captured by US government scientific weather forecasting authority National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said during a news conference that state officials are working with fuel companies to continue bringing in gasoline ahead of Milton's expected landfall on Wednesday. He said: "We have been dispatching fuel over the past 24 hours as gas stations have run out. We currently have 268,000 gallons of diesel, 110,000 gallons of gasoline.
"Those numbers are less than what they were 24 hours ago because we've put a lot in, but we have an additional 1.2 million gallons of both diesel and gasoline currently en route to the state of Florida."
Ahead of the hurricane, Florida has declared a state of emergency, and residents were ordered to evacuate, leading to one of Florida's largest evacuation procedures on record.