UPDATE: HURRICANE MILTON is a Still A Life-Threatening Category 5 Hurricane Expected to Make Landfall Tonight or Early Morning Thursday!

Little has changed overnight with respect to Hurricane Milton.? It remains a powerful Category 5 storm, with sustained winds recently measured at 160 mph.? At 5:00 AM EDT, Milton was located 300 Miles southwest of Tampa, Florida.? The storm was beginning the process of expanding its sie as it moves across the eastern Gulf of Mexico. Hurricane Milton’s trajectory also remains basically unchanged.? It is moving northeast at 14 mph, with a more pronounced? eastward turn expected later today and tonight.? On its present course, Milton will make landfall at or near Tampa very late tonight or early on Thursday morning.? The current track is a blend of different models and consistent with the official National Hurricane Center’s guidance forecast.

While wind shear is expected to weaken Milton back to a Category 3 storm later today, it will remain a very dangerous major hurricane as it makes landfall!? There is concern that Milton’s enormous potential energy reservoir could impede weakening as the storm approaches land and begins the process of transitioning to an extratropical cyclone.? If this process occurs, Milton’s strength would remain on the upper side of the model intensity scale – it would be stronger than a Cat 3 at landfall.

Regardless of intensity, multiple hazards will accompany Milton prior to and following landfall – and in locations far-removed from where the storm comes ashore.? Hazards include life-threatening storm surge up to 10 to 15 feet above normal in coastal impact regions; dangerous surf and rip currents along both the west and east Florida coastlines; devastating hurricane-force winds, in excess of 120 mph with higher gusts; and torrential rain of up to 18 inches in some locations and possibly the chance of tornadoes.

Residents who have been advised to evaluate the most vulnerable areas should do so without further delay, or risk becoming stranded by rapidly-deteriorating weather conditions later today.?

SURVIVAL IN OR NEAR MILTON’S ANTICIPATED LANDFALL POINT WILL BE VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE!

Preparations for Hurricane Milton’s arrival, including evacuation, should be finished or in progress at this time.? The outer bands of Milton already have reached the southern Florida Peninsula, and conditions will rapidly worsen throughout today.? STAY INFORMED on the storm’s status today and be certain to follow the instructions of Emergency Management and Public Safety officials before, during and after Milton’s passage through the State.

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Premier Forecasting Services, as an affiliate of Risk and Security LLC, provides services to meet the challenge of extreme weather, including customized Weather Services ?Severe Weather Forecasts and Alerts, Long Range Forecasts and Weather Risk Assessments.? For more information: write: Larry Wilson at [email protected].or Caroline Ramsey-Hamilton at [email protected]