Hurricane Milton Timeline & What To Know For The Tampa Bay Area
Everyone in Tampa Bay and the West coast of Florida has their eyes on Hurricane Milton. The rapidly forming storm is looking to be a possible direct hit to the Tampa Bay area for the first time in 100 years. Updates and models from Sunday show shifts both north and south of Tampa. The first track from the NHC brings it to Florida’s West Coast Wednesday as a strong Category 3 hurricane. Here’s what to expect for Hurricane Milton and the possible timeline.
Residents should use Tuesday and Wednesday morning to finalize preparations. If you plan on evauating, do it as early as possible, don’t wait till the day of the storm. Know your evacuation zone and finalize your plans and preparations. All tolls have been suspended in the west coast, central Florida, and Alligator Alley. In his weekend reports, ABC Action News weather guru Denis Phillips suggest to NOT evacuate 24 hours before the storm. Roads will have bumper-to-bumper traffic and you could end up getting stuck.
Hurricane Milton Timeline
As of 5am on Tuesday, Milton has is still a category 4 storm. Over Monday night it went through a process called ERC or Eyewall Replacement Cycle. A second eyewall forms outside the 1st one and the inside eyewall dies. This did weaken the storm but only temporary, Milton will still likely be a category 3 storm by landfall. The storm has slowed down a bit and we are expecting to see landfall around Thursday morning around 2am.
Where will it make landfall? It’s still too early to tell. We are just starting to see agreement on models. They show landfall from the Skyway to the Southern end of Manatee County. Denis Phillips reminds us that “wobbles” are 100% unpredictable. No model (or human) can actually predict where they occur. Denis reminds us that “wobbles often are East of the center and have a tendency to go the the right. We’ve seen it SO many times before. (Charley, Irma, Ian, Idalia, and even Helene 2 weeks ago)”. Surge values of 8-12 feet are likely at landfall near the eye. This is worst than Helene’s record, so if you home flooded for Helene, you’ll likely experience it again.
The Tampa Bay area is likely to see hurricane force winds as early as Wednesday morning/afternoon.
Expected storm surge:
- Anclote River -Englewood: 8-12 ft
- Tampa Bay: 8-12 ft
- Yankeetown – Anclote River: 5-10 ft
- Englewood – Bonita Beach: 5-10 ft
- Charlotte Harbor: 5-10 ft
- Bonita Beach – Chokoloskee: 4-7 ft
- Suwanee River – Yankeetown: 3-5 feet
Hurricane Milton Updates
Spaghetti models over the weekend have been contradicting, leaving a lot of residents conflicted on their preparation plans. Mandatory evacuation orders have been placed for:
- Manatee county- All persons in Level A, B, and C —and all residents or visitors in RVs or Mobile Homes—ahead of Hurricane Milton, beginning at 2 p.m. Monday, Oct. 7. Emergency shelters have opened at the following locations: Mills Elementary School (7200 69th St. E., Palmetto), Miller Elementary School (601 43rd St. W., Bradenton), Myakka Elementary School (37205 Manatee Ave., Myakka City)
- Pasco County – Pasco County is under an order of local state emergency. Mandatory evacuations for zones A, B, C and residents in mobile homes, low-lying areas and flood prone are in effect, according to officials.
- Pinellas – Pinellas County has issued a mandatory evacuation order for residents in Zones A, B, and C and all mobile homes county-wide.
- Hillsborough County – Officials issued a mandatory evacuation order for Evacuation Zones A and B and for all mobile homes and manufactured housing throughout the county starting at 2:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 7.
- Sarasota – Sarasota County officials announced a mandatory evacuation for levels A and B. Any mobile homes or manufactured homes in Sarasota County are placed under mandatory evacuation as well as if residents live on boats.
- Hernando- County officials has issued mandatory evacuations for all areas west of US 19, including Evacuation Zones A, B and C, starting Tuesday at 8 a.m.
- Citrus – A mandatory evacuation is in effect for all of Zone A, along with anyone living in campers, tents, mobile homes, manufactured homes
Debris Collection
If you still have debris from Hurricane Helene, there are a few drop off sites around Tampa Bay where you can take any left over trash. Residents should bring their driver’s license or water bill. Hazardous materials will not be accepted. Please store hazardous material in a safe location until after the storm.
- 1953 72nd St. N. Hours are 7 a.m. – 9 p.m. or until weather conditions no longer permit safe operation.
- Pinellas County Solid Waste Disposal Facility (3095 114th Ave. N) via the 34th Street Gate.
- 1000 62nd Ave. NE
- 7750 26th Ave. N
- 2500 26th Ave. S
- 4015 Dr. Martin Luther King St. S
- 2453 20th Ave. N
- 350 N. Falkenburg Rd., Tampa, FL 33619
- Alderman’s Ford Solid Waste Facility – 9402 County Road 39, Plant City, FL 33567
- Hillsborough Heights Solid Waste Facility – 6209 County Road 579, Seffner, FL 33584
- Northwest County Solid Waste Facility – 8001 W. Linebaugh Ave., Tampa, FL 33625
- South County Solid Waste Facility – 13000 U.S. 41, Gibsonton, FL 33534
- Wimauma Solid Waste Facility – 16180 W. Lake Dr., Wimauma, FL 33598
Last Minute Prep Tips
If you plan on evacuating, make sure you shut off your power and water before leaving. After you close your main shut off valve, open all the faucets, tub, and flush the toilets to get the water out (don’t forget outside hoses too) to prevent storm water/sewage from coming up through your drains.
Ever heard of the frozen quarter trick? Freeze a cup of water and put a coin on top. If the coin stayed on top after the power went out, your food stayed frozen!
In all the preparation madness don’t forget to clean your house. If you lose power, you’ll be stuck with the same mess you started with. It also may be a good idea to take pictures videos of your home/belongings. You can see more prep tips by clicking here.
