Hurricane Milton has restrengthened into a Category 5 storm with maximum sustained winds at 165 mph. Yesterday, the storm was downgraded, however, it appears to have regained some strength as it approaches Florida.

Milton Downgraded to Cat. 4 As It Heads For Florida

According to WFTV9, the updated track shows Milton making landfall somewhere between the Tampa Bay area and the Suncoast early Thursday morning. It is then expected to track across Central Florida overnight Wednesday into Thursday. A portion of the West Coast is likely to experience a major hurricane. Catastrophic storm surges, hurricane-force winds, and flooding rains are all very likely.

The Tampa Bay area, which is home to more than 3.3 million people, is facing the possibility of widespread destruction after avoiding direct hits from major hurricanes for more than a century. Eleven Florida counties, which are home to about 5.9 million people, were under mandatory evacuation orders as of Tuesday afternoon. Officials are warning residents not to bank on the storm weakening.

Emergency officials in Sarasota are warning those who live by large bodies of water to evacuate.  “We’ve seen a lot of questions about, ‘well I live on a creek,’ or ‘I live on a river, is it really going to get 10 to 15 feet where I live?’” Sarasota County Emergency Management Chief Sandra Tapfumaneyi said in a briefing early Wednesday according to a report by AP News. “That storm surge is going to start at 10 or 15 feet near the coastline and then it’s going to travel,” she said. “And storm surge likes to go on the path of least resistance. So those of you that live near a river, that live near a creek, those river banks, their water will come up.”

It’s probably too late to do much other than finish any preps for those who have decided to weather the storm.

Did Hurricane Milton Have Help In Suddenly Becoming One Of The Most Powerful Storms In History?

Hopefully, everyone is as ready as they can be and prepared for the unexpected.