Hurricane Milton is set to hit the west coast of Florida near the Tampa Bay area as a Category 5 storm on Wednesday. As of Monday afternoon, the storm is churning in the Gulf of Mexico, off the Yucatan Peninsula near Cancun. Devastating rain and wind are forecast for most of Florida from Jacksonville to Miami. A storm surge of up to 12 feet near Tampa is possible, which would be devastating for a place so close to sea level. Flights and rental cars are nearly all rented out as of Monday afternoon. The good news is that the storm is not projected to head north through Georgia up to the Appalachian Mountains as it did with Hurricane Helene. Asheville, North Carolina, and the surrounding area were devastated by Helene’s massive flood water.
SOURCES:
Emotional John Morales updates on Hurricane Milton as Cat. 5: ‘I apologize, this is just horrific’ – YouTube
Hurricane Milton grows to Category 5 | Look at its path – YouTube
