FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Florida’s Gulf Coast braced Tuesday for the impact of Hurricane Milton’s winds and expected massive storm surge, which could bring destruction to areas already reeling from Helene’s devastation 12 days ago and still recovering from Ian’s wrath two years ago. Almost the entirety of Florida’s west coast was under a hurricane warning early Tuesday as the storm and its 155 mph (250 kph) winds crept toward the state at 9 mph (14 kph), sucking energy from the Gulf of Mexico’s warm water.
The strongest Atlantic hurricane on record is 1980’s Allen, which reached wind speeds of 190 mph (306 kph) as it moved through the Caribbean and Gulf before striking Texas and Mexico. Milton was downgraded early Tuesday to a Category 4 hurricane, but forecasters said it still posed “an extremely serious threat to Florida.” Milton had intensified quickly Monday, becoming a Category 5 storm at midday with maximum sustained winds of 180 mph (285 kph) before being downgraded.
Milton’s center could come ashore Wednesday in the region, which has not endured a direct hit by a major hurricane in more than a century. Scientists expect the system to weaken slightly before landfall, though it could retain hurricane strength as it churns across central Florida toward the Atlantic Ocean. That would largely spare other states , which killed at least 230 people on its path from Florida to .
Tampa Bay has not been hit directly by a major hurricane since 1921, and.