(TAMPA) The National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami says that Hurricane Milton has regained strength. It has sustained winds of 120 mph and is moving eastward at 16 mph. According to the NHC, as of 5pm on Wednesday, the storm is located approximately 60 miles Southwest (SW) of Sarasota. Milton is expected to eventually make landfall in the between Tampa Bay and Sarasota on Wednesday evening as a Category 3 Hurricane with damaging winds, life-threatening storm surge and torrential rain. Evacuations have been ordered for coastal and low-lying communities throughout the region. The impact from winds and rains are expected to be felt as far north as the Big Bend region and southward towards the Florida Keys.
All campuses of the University of South Florida are closed for the remainder of this week. For the latest information on USF campus re-openings, click here: https://www.usf.edu/news/2024/usf-update-on-tropical-storm-milton.aspx
Resources to track the Storm
NWS Tropical Storm Milton Latest: https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/#Milton
NWS Tampa Bay Live Weather Radar: https://www.weather.gov/srh/tropical?office=tbw#radar
National Weather Service Tampa Bay Office: https://www.weather.gov/tbw/
Residents along the West Coast of Florida are being advised to make preparations for the storm, potential floods and possible widespread power outages.
The following are links to state, county and municipal resources here in Florida:
Florida Division of Emergency Management: https://www.floridadisaster.org/disaster-updates/storm-updates/
Pasco County: https://www.pascocountyfl.net/services/emergency_management/index.php
Hernando County: https://www.hernandocounty.us/departments/departments-a-e/emergency-management
Citrus County: https://www.sheriffcitrus.org/divisions/bureau_of_support_operations/emergency_operations.php
Pinellas County: https://pinellas.gov/emergency-information
Hillsborough County: https://hcfl.gov/residents/public-safety/emergency-management
Sarasota County: https://www.scgov.net/government/departments/emergency-services
Manatee County: https://www.mymanatee.org/departments/public_safety/emergency_management
Polk County: https://www.polk-county.net/public-safety/emergency-management/
City of Tampa: https://www.tampa.gov/emergency-management/hurricane-information
City of St. Petersburg: https://www.stpete.org/residents/public_safety/hurricane_center.php
City of Sarasota: https://www.sarasotafl.gov/government/city-manager/communications/alerts-5322
