Hurricane Milton advances to Category 5 as Florida orders evacuations and scrambles to clear Helene’s debris

Hurricane Milton threatens Tampa Bay with unprecedented storm surge and flooding, prompting mass evacuations and emergency preparations.

Florida’s storm-battered Gulf Coast raced against a Category 5 hurricane Monday (October 7, 2024) as workers sprinted to pick up debris left over from Helene two weeks ago and highways were clogged with people fleeing ahead of the storm.

The center of Hurricane Milton could come ashore Wednesday (October 9, 2024) in the Tampa Bay region, which has not endured a direct hit by a major hurricane in more than a century. Scientists expect the system to weaken slightly before landfall, though it could retain hurricane strength as it churns across central Florida toward the Atlantic Ocean. That would largely spare other states ravaged by Helene, which killed at least 230 people on its path from Florida to the Carolinas.

“This is the real deal here with Milton,” Tampa Mayor Jane Castor told a news conference. “If you want to take on Mother Nature, she wins 100% of the time.”