JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — All eyes are on the Florida Peninsula as Hurricane Milton barrels toward the Sunshine State.
“There is high confidence that this hurricane is going to pack a major, major punch and do an awful lot of damage,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said during a news conference Wednesday morning. He added state emergency management crews are fully deployed with assistance from 20 other states.
As of 11 a.m. Wednesday, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) expects Milton to make landfall along Florida’s west coast as major hurricane Wednesday night.
The highest, and most devastating, storm surge is expected to be around the Tampa Bay area and a little south, however coastal communities along the First Coast could still see a storm surge anywhere from 1-5 feet.
Tropical storm force winds may also be felt along the First Coast as early as Wednesday night. Heavy bands of rain and thunderstorms are already moving over the region this afternoon.
Impacts from Milton will be worse the farther southeast in the First Coast you go, that includes communities in St. Johns, Putnam and Flagler counties.
“Milton is forecast to remain a hurricane while it crosses the Florida Peninsula and life-threatening hurricane-force winds, especially in gusts, are expected to spread inland across the peninsula,” the NHC said. “The time to evacuate, if told to do so by local officials, is quickly coming to a close."
