Less than two weeks after Helene barreled through the southern part of the United States, Milton will make landfall as "a dangerous major hurricane," according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.
When will Hurricane Milton make landfall?
The storm is expected to make landfall late Wednesday night or early Thursday morning.
Despite pending landfall, areas of Florida are already feeling the storm's effects.
The state will experience hurricane and tropical storm winds throughout Wednesday. Areas in Southwest Florida are already experiencing tornadoes.
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However, those wishing to evacuate may still have time to do so in the morning.
"Most people have evacuated, but there is still a little bit of time this morning for those last people that hesitated to be able to evacuate," said Rick Davis, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Tampa, told USA TODAY.
Where will it make landfall?
Hurricane Milton is expected to make landfall in the Manatee Couty/Sarasota County area on central Florida's west coast, give or take 50 miles north or south, according to Davis, who also advised people not to concentrate on where it could make landfall.
"We're telling people not to focus on the exact center because as the system makes landfall, the eye is going to be getting larger, and the wind field is going to be expanding," Davis said. "Even if you're not directly in the path, the effects will be felt far and wide at the point of landfall."
Hurricane Milton Tracker
Hurricane Milton spaghetti models
Illustrations include an array of forecast tools and models, and not all are created equal. The hurricane center uses only the top four or five highest-performing models to help make its forecasts.
Hurricane Milton livestream
Watch live as Hurricane Milton heads toward Florida.
Life-threatening storm
Milton's storm surge presents an "extremely life-threatening situation," according to the National Hurricane Center.
“Milton has the potential to be one of the most destructive hurricanes on record for west-central Florida," warns NHC specialist John Cangialosi.
The state will see 5 to 12 inches of rainfall, according to USA TODAY's previous reporting. Areas in the central to northern portions of the Florida Peninsula areas could experience up to 18 inches of rain.
People should rush to prepare for long-duration power outages and to" protect life and property," the National Hurricane Center warned.
"Life-threatening" flooding is also possible, according to the center.
"We just need people to, you know, take this very seriously," said Davis. "This is going to be a devastating event."
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