The Florida peninsula may be no stranger to severe weather, but Tampa Bay has managed to avoid being hit directly by a hurricane since 1921.
That could change on Wednesday with Hurricane Milton, prompting the Canadian government to issue a travel warning for the entire peninsula, including Tampa Bay, and urging Canadians to “avoid non-essential travel” throughout the region.
The warning extended for the west coast of the Florida Peninsula from Chokoloskee to the mouth of the Suwannee River, including Tampa Bay, Lake Okeechobee and the Dry Tortugas. The advisory for the East Coast was for the St. Lucie/Indian River county line north to the mouth of the St. Marys River.
The Canadian warning read: “Hurricane Milton is expected to make landfall at various locations on the west and east coasts of Florida between October 8 and 9, 2024.”
She added that the storm is likely to bring heavy rains and violent winds, which may cause floods and landslides, and disrupt basic services such as transportation, energy, water, food supplies, communications, emergency services and medical care.
Canadians already in the affected area are urged to be vigilant, monitor local news and weather reports and follow instructions from local authorities.
Tampa International Airport suspended flight services at 9 a.m. Eastern on Tuesday ahead of the expected impact of Hurricane Milton. Authorities said in a social media post that the airport “will reopen when it is safe to do so.”
Airport authorities asked travelers to check directly with airlines for any updates and warned that the airport is not a place to house people or vehicles.
Hurricane Milton weakened slightly Tuesday but remained a ferocious storm that could directly hit the densely populated Tampa Bay area once in a century with towering storm surge and debris from the devastation left behind by Hurricane Helen 12 days ago turning into projectiles.
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Almost the entire west coast of Florida was under a hurricane or tropical storm warning, as the storm and its 145 mph (230 km/h) winds lifted off Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, heading towards the state at 12 mph (19 km/h). ) and absorbs energy from the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
The center of Milton could come ashore Wednesday evening in the Tampa Bay area, which has a population of more than 3.3 million. The county that includes Tampa ordered evacuations for areas adjacent to the bay and for all mobile and manufactured homes by Tuesday night.
The US National Weather Service said in a post on social media that the storm not only represents a coastal threat, but could travel through inland waterways.
“Do you live near a river, canal or stream? As Hurricane Milton approaches Florida’s west coast, please keep in mind that storm surge can move inland through these waterways,” the National Weather Service warned.
“You don’t have to get on the highway and go far,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said at a press conference Tuesday morning, assuring residents that there would be enough gas to fuel their cars for the trip. “You can evacuate dozens of miles; You don’t have to evacuate hundreds of miles away. You have options.”
How is Helen’s damage calculated?
DeSantis said the state has helped evacuate more than 200 health care facilities on Milton Road and that 36 county-run shelters are open. The state is also scrambling to remove debris from recent Hurricane Helen, fearing the mess could turn into projectiles when it hits Milton. He said the state deployed more than 300 dump trucks working around the clock and removed 1,200 loads of debris.
Lifeguards on the peninsula that make up Tampa Bay removed beach chairs and other items that could fly off in strong winds. Elsewhere, stoves, chairs, refrigerators and kitchen tables were waiting in piles to be removed. Sarah Styslicki, who lives in Belleair Beach, said she was frustrated that more debris had not been collected earlier.
The National Hurricane Center downgraded Milton early Tuesday to a Category 4 hurricane, but forecasters said it still poses a “very serious threat to Florida.” Milton rapidly strengthened Monday, becoming a Category 5 storm by midday with maximum sustained winds of 180 mph (285 km/h) before downgrading.
Forecasters warned that Milton could bring storm surge into Tampa Bay, between 10 to 15 feet (3 to 4.5 meters), triggering evacuation orders for beach communities along the Gulf Coast. In Florida, this means that a person is left alone, and first responders are not expected to risk their lives to rescue them at the height of the storm.
Milton is expected to remain a very dangerous hurricane when it makes landfall, as it makes its way across central Florida toward the Atlantic Ocean with the potential for rain totaling up to 18 inches (20 cm), according to the Hurricane Center. Parts of the state’s east coast were under hurricane and tropical storm warnings early Tuesday.
That route would largely avoid other states devastated by Hurricane Helen, which killed at least 230 people on its path from Florida to the Appalachian Mountains.
Tampa Bay hasn’t been directly hit by a major hurricane since 1921, and authorities fear their luck is running out.
President Joe Biden agreed to declare an emergency in Florida, and US Representative Kathy Castor said that 7,000 federal workers had been mobilized to help in one of the largest mobilizations of federal employees in history.
“This is the real deal here with Milton,” Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said at a news conference Monday. “If you want to take on Mother Nature, she wins 100 percent of the time.”
The Tampa Bay area is still buoyed by Helen and her powerful wave — a wall of water up to eight feet (2.4 meters) high that she created even though her eye was 100 miles (160 kilometers) offshore. Twelve people died there, and the worst damage occurred along a chain of barrier islands from St. Petersburg to Clearwater.
-With files from The Associated Press
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