In Florida, 'the Time to Get Out Is Now'

Florida is about to be hit by a second Category 4 hurricane in less than two weeks. Hurricane Milton remained a Category 5 storm at 5am ET Wednesday with 160mph wind speeds as it continued its approach to Florida, per NPR. When it makes landfall along Florida's western coast late Wednesday or early Thursday, however, it's expected to be a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained wind speeds of 130mph, per the Guardian. Some 300 miles southwest of Tampa as of 5am, Milton was moving northeast at 14mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. Forecasters have warned Milton is likely to grow as it approaches the coast, with weather conditions deteriorating before evening.

Indeed, "outer bands have already begun impacting Florida," per the Guardian. "We already saw some flooding out here early this morning," Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister told CNN on Wednesday. And "that's only going to get worse." The NHC said an "extremely life threatening" storm surge could reach 15 feet in some places, with rainfall totals of up to 18 inches, per the Washington Post and NPR. "This is the 11th hour," said Chronister. "If you're in an evacuation zone, the time to get out is now." Six million people in 11 counties are under mandatory evacuation orders, the Guardian reports, adding 30% of gas stations in the area of Fort Myers and Naples have run dry.

At least six of the state's most heavily trafficked airports are shutting down, per Quartz. Tampa International, directly in the storm's path, is closed, while Orlando International, the state's busiest airport, is to stop commercial service at 8am. It "will remain open only to accommodate emergency, aid, and relief flights as necessary," according to an alert. Tampa General Hospital is intending to stay open under the protection of a flood barrier, made to withstand storm surge up to 15 feet above sea level, per CNN. The Storm Prediction Center has also warned of likely tornadoes "across parts of the central and southern Florida Peninsula, into the Florida Keys" before the storm is expected to reach the peninsula's east coast on Thursday. (More Hurricane Milton stories.)