One-way tickets from Florida to Newark jump to over $1,000 as Hurricane Milton roars

As Hurricane Milton barrels into Florida's west coast, residents looking to escape are fueling a remarkable hike in airline tickets out of Florida. Tickets to New Jersey, for instance, are now selling for more than $1,000 one-way.

If you can still find a flight, or an open airport.

Hurricane Milton is expected to make landfall in Florida around 8 p.m., Wednesday, as a Category 3 hurricane and is predicted to be "one of the most destructive hurricanes on record for west-central Florida," the National Hurricane Center, warned in an update Tuesday.

Airline tickets to Newark from Orlando are now selling from $500 to $1,193 on Tuesday, according to a check of travel websites, such as Google Flights. Tickets to Philadelphia are selling for up to $1,877 on Tuesday, and up to $6,633 for a ticket to San Juan.

The domino effect of flight cancelations and delays in Florida has trickled down into other airports nationwide. At Newark Liberty International Airport, flight cancellations went from 87 on Saturday, to 185 on Monday, and rose again to 696 as of noon on Tuesday.

Airports in west and central Florida are either closed or preparing to suspend operations soon.

Tampa International Airport suspended operations at 9 a.m., Tuesday, and will remain closed to the public until further notice. While the St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport, located near Tampa, will close at 12:30 p.m., Tuesday, after its final flight departs, and will stay closed on Wednesday and Thursday.

At Orlando Executive Airport, commercial flight will stop at 10 p.m., Tuesday, while Orlando International Airport will stop operations at 8 a.m., Wednesday, according to airport officials. Both airports will reopen as soon as conditions permit.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: One-way tickets from Florida to Newark jump to over $1,000 as Hurricane Milton roars