Big wind gusts in Central Florida
Orlando Executive Airport reported a wind gust of 60 mph Wednesday night as Hurricane Milton’s center neared Central Florida, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The gust came as Milton was about 105 miles southwest of Orlando.
Leesburg Municipal Airport in Lake County reported a gust of 71 mph, and the was a 57 mph gust in Daytona Beach, the National Weather Service in Melbourne reported.
Search and rescue efforts underway in Florida, officials say
Officials say search and rescue efforts are underway after dangerous tornadoes ripped through the state Wednesday.
About 125 homes were destroyed before the hurricane made landfall, many of them mobile homes in communities for senior citizens, said Kevin Guthrie, the director of Florida’s Division of Emergency Management.
St. Lucie County Sheriff Keith Pearson posted a video to Facebook showing a 10,000 square-foot (930 square-meters) iron building that had been twisted into a crumpled heap by a tornado. The structure was where the sheriff’s office kept its patrol cars, but luckily no one was inside when it fell, Pearson said.
Associated Press
NWS reports tornado damage in Cocoa Beach
A 5:52 p.m., a tornado touchdown was reported in Cocoa Beach, the National Weather Service confirmed.
“Media reported roof damage to a Super Cuts by A1A and S Banana River Blvd,” the NWS said.
At 5:52 PM EDT, 1 ENE Cocoa Beach [Brevard Co, FL] Public reports Tornado. Media reported roof damage to a Super Cuts by A1A and S Banana River Blvd. Time estimated via radar. #flwx https://t.co/O1TZJ4i7PO pic.twitter.com/sCFqwfPO0Z
— IEMBot MLB (@iembot_mlb) October 10, 2024
Record number of tornado warnings were issued in Florida Wednesday
Meteorologist Pay Hyland posted on X, formerly Twitter, a Florida-record 126 tornado warnings were issued Wednesday as Hurricane Milton neared its landfall.
“It’s also the 2nd highest number of tornado warnings issued in the U.S. for a single calendar day – trailing only the 2011 Super Outbreak (Alabama),” he posted.
126 tornado warnings were issued today by NWS offices in Florida
This is a record for the State of Florida
It’s also the 2nd highest number of tornado warnings issued in the U.S. for a single calendar day – trailing only the 2011 Super Outbreak (Alabama)#Milton #flwx pic.twitter.com/azJk2pudrZ
— Pat Hyland (@hylandwx) October 10, 2024
Luke Culver, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Miami, said he wasn’t sure whether Milton had spawned a record number of tornados, but he pointed out that only 64 Florida tornado warnings were associated with Hurricane Ian, which hit the Tampa Bay area as a massive storm in 2022.
Tornadoes produced by hurricanes and tropical storms most often occur in the right-front quadrant of the storm, but sometimes they can also take place near the storm’s eyewall, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The heat and humidity present in the atmosphere during such storms and changes in wind direction or speed with height, known as wind shear, contribute to their likelihood.
More than 1 million without power in Florida
More than 1.2 million homes and businesses without power in Florida due to Hurricane Milton, according PowerOutage.us
At 9:30 p.m., the highest outage concentration were in Manatee, Sarasota, Hardee and Pinellas counties
Surprisingly, Indian River County had roughly 95% of customers without power earlier in the day after tornadoes from Milton’s storm bands rolled through the county. By 9:30 p.m., only about 25% were still without power.
2 tornadoes touch down in rural Osceola County
Osceola County officials are warning residents to stay vigilant as several tornado warnings were in effect and likely to last into the early Thursday morning.
Bill Litton, Osceola’s emergency management director, said two tornadoes touched down Wednesday afternoon in rural areas of Holopaw .
“We haven’t received any calls or anything for any damages currently,” Litton said. “We are currently under a tornado watch until 9 p.m. but I already have good knowledge from the National Weather Service in Melbourne that it will be extended through at least the early morning hours, probably 5 or 6 a.m.”
He said residents should have access to weather alerts and leave them on throughout the night.
As residents wake up Thursday morning, Litton said the worst won’t be over.
“The rainfall amount we’re looking at 6 to 8 inches of rain in our area,” he said. “We might have some pockets of some urban flooding.”
Litton said areas around Shingle Creek will likely have some flooding. He urged residents to stay off the roads and indoors until at least early Thursday afternoon.
2 Polk County streets have become impassable
Due to flooding, two streets in Polk County have become impassable, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
In Lakeland, Reynolds Road is flooded at Maine Avenue. In Winter Haven, 42nd Street NW at Avenue Q NW is also flooded.
Please avoid these areas and do not attempt to drive through flooded streets.
National Weather Service: ‘It’s time to shelter in place from #Milton”
The National Weather Service’s main account on X, formerly Twitter, issued an ominous message Wednesday afternoon.
“It’s time to shelter-in-place from #Milton,” the NWS said. “Tropical-storm force winds, flooding rains, and tornadoes are spreading inland across FL. Unless a life-threatening situation arises, stay indoors and follow updates.”
It’s time to shelter-in-place from #Milton. Tropical-storm force winds, flooding rains, and tornadoes are spreading inland across FL. Unless a life-threatening situation arises, stay indoors and follow updates. pic.twitter.com/yplcIhwjIR
— National Weather Service (@NWS) October 9, 2024
Ken Graham, the director of the National Hurricane Center in Miami, echoed the NWS.
“The hurricane that @NWS has been warning about is here!” he posted on X. “Tornadoes and heavy rainfall have begun impacting Florida well ahead of the expected landfall of #Milton.”
He add, “Be sure to have multiple sources for weather alerts. I urge those in harm’s way to continue heeding advice from local officials and please be safe!”
The hurricane that @NWS has been warning about is here! Tornadoes and heavy rainfall have begun impacting Florida well ahead of the expected landfall of #Milton. Be sure to have multiple sources for weather alerts. I urge those in harm’s way to continue heeding advice from local… pic.twitter.com/659N60BX37
— NWS Director (@NWSDirector) October 9, 2024
Roger Simmons
Orlando airports cease operations, flights canceled across nation
Orlando International Airport and Orlando Executive airport ceased operations because of Hurricane Milton but remained open.
“While these airports will cease commercial operations, they are not closed to emergency/aid and relief flights and will remain open as necessary,” the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority said in a news release. “Commercial operations will resume as soon as possible based on damage assessment.”
More than 250 flights into and out of OIA were canceled because of the hurricane on Wednesday.
CNN aviation reporter Pete Muntean posted on X, formerly Twitter, that “Hurricane Milton is driving the *worst* day for flight cancelations of the last two months.”
As of just 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, he said, more than 1,700 flights across the nation had canceled because of Milton. “Cancelations Thursday climbing too,” he noted.
The U.S. Department of Transportation is also “in touch with airlines” about possible price gouging for flights for those who were fleeing from Milton, Muntean said.
Roger Simmons
Florida stages thousands of emergency personnel
Florida is activating around 8,000 National Guard members ahead of Hurricane Milton — likely the largest pre-storm guard mobilization in Florida history, Gov. Ron DeSantis said.
The state has also set up a 10,000-person camp in Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg for emergency responders and debris cleanup workers. When Hurricane Ian came crashing onto Florida’s shores as a powerful Category 4 storm, the state set up camps for 6,000 emergency responders.
The state has lined up 600 ambulances and other emergency vehicles and has search and rescue teams from about a dozen states ready to lend a hand. It’s identified 14 additional sites for emergency shelters if needed, including a warehouse with capacity for 10,000 people. The state has already opened the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus in Wesley Chapel and the Seminole Tribe casino and event center in Tampa for surge shelter capacity.
“We’ve never had this many resources prior to a storm,” DeSantis said.
The preparations for Hurricane Milton show that the state believes this track could be uniquely devastating to Gulf Coast counties.
DeSantis, who grew up in Pinellas County, said when he looks at hurricane preparation for the state, they look at landfall in Tampa Bay as one of the most significant storms that could happen – even if it wasn’t a Category 4 or 5. It’s the storm surge that could be devastating.
Romy Ellenbogen, Tampa Bay Times
Osceola enforcing curfew starting Wednesday night at 8
Osceola County has issued a countywide curfew beginning at 8 p.m. Wednesday and continuing through 10 a.m. Thursday.
All pedestrian and vehicular movement, standing or parking are prohibited during the hours of the curfew, county officials announced Wednesday.
Residents in the city of St. Cloud and Kissimmee are included in the restrictions.
Police, fire, emergency services or those driving to work or traveling to their residences from work are exempt.
Natalia Jaramillo
Free Orlando parking garages are full
If you haven’t nabbed a safe spot for your vehicle in one of the downtown parking garages Orlando opened for free, you’re too late. As of 11 a.m. Wednesday, all 3500 spaces were all full. A city spokesperson said she had never seen the slots go so quickly.
Here are the affected garages.
-Amelia Street Garage at 355 Alexander Place
-Central Boulevard Garage, 53 W Central Blvd
-Jefferson Street Garage, 62 Wt Jefferson St
-Library Garage, 112 E Central Blvd
-Administration Garage, 300 Liberty Ave
Ryan Gillespie
Local gas stations are running out of fuel
GasBuddy reports the following percentages of stations without fuel in each of the major cities in the state.
October 9, 9:36am ET
Florida, statewide: 23.03%
Fort Myers/Naples: 35.16%
Gainesville: 31.76%
Jacksonville 3.09%
Miami/Fort Lauderdale: 1.87%
Pensacola: 0.57%
Orlando/Daytona Beach: 26.58%
Panama City: 0.00%
Tallahassee: 2.41%
Tampa/St. Petersburg: 59.24%
West Palm Beach: 2.56%
Sarasota: 39.08%
Sentinel staff
Volusia to keep drawbridges in down position during storm
Volusia County has secured two Intracoastal Waterway low-rise drawbridges, Highbridge and Main Street, into the down position.
Bridge operations for boat traffic are suspended until after the storm. They will reopen after the bridges have been inspected and cleared for operation.
The county enacts high-rise coastal bridge closures for traffic when determined necessary by the emergency management director in coordination with the Sheriff’s Office and local law enforcement under the following conditions: Upon arrival of winds sustained at 39 mph, when visible damage to the bridge or flooding of the approaches has occurred and to conduct damage assessments
As Milton approaches, county officials will continue to closely monitor weather forecasts and assess potential impacts on bridge safety. The county remains prepared to implement safety closures if weather conditions warrant.
Sentinel staff
Parts of Central Florida under tornado watch
Osceola County is under a tornado watch until 9 p.m. because of Hurricane Milton, the National Weather Service in Melbourne said Wednesday. Other nearby counties in the watch area as of 10:45 a.m. on Wednesday were Okeechobee, Indian River and Martin.
It is expected the tornado watch will be expanded to include other Central Florida counties later today as Hurricane Milton gets closer.
There have been several tornadoes reported in South Florida this morning as Milton’s storm bands come ashore there.
BREAKING: Two large tornadoes from Hurricane Milton crossed Interstate 75 in the Florida Everglades around 10 a.m. EDT, moving north between the towns of Miles City and Andytown.
The tornado shown here was east of the first tornado and closer to Andytown. pic.twitter.com/M65dpsvgWV
— AccuWeather (@accuweather) October 9, 2024
BREAKING: Two large tornadoes from Hurricane Milton crossed Interstate 75 in the Florida Everglades around 10 a.m. EDT, moving north between the towns of Miles City and Andytown. AT&T waives overage charges for Hurricane Milton
AT&T said it is waiving overage charges to provide unlimited talk, text and data for its customers with billing addresses in zip codes across affected areas of Hurricane Milton.
The period for overage charges being waived runs from from today through Nov. 7, the company said.
For more information, go to https://about.att.com/pages/disaster_relief/2024/storm-milton.html
Sentinel staff
Seminole County issues evacuation order for vulnerable residents and areas
Seminole County on Wednesday morning issued an emergency evacuation order for residents in mobile and manufactured homes, in flood zones and low-lying areas and those with special needs.
When asked, county officials would not clarify if the order was mandatory or voluntary.
Those areas in the county susceptible to flooding include within the Wekiva River Basin — such as homes along the Little Wekiva River; Wekiva River in Altamonte Springs and Longwood; and along Gee Creek in Winter Springs.
Other areas that flood heavily include those along the St. Johns River, Lake Harney, Lake Jesup and Lake Monroe.
People evacuating are urged to remain outside danger areas “until this restriction is lifted,” according to the order signed by Alan Harris, Seminole’s director for the office of emergency management.
Martin E. Comas
Theme park update
Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park will close at 1:00 pm Wednesday. Magic Kingdom park, EPCOT and Disney Springs will close at 2:00 pm. Disney says it is “likely” the parks will remain closed Thursday. Updates will be offered here.
Universal Orlando Resort will close most operations at 2 pm Wednesday and all day Thursday. Check online for updates.
SeaWorld Orlando, Aquatica Orlando and Discovery Cove Orlando will be closed on Wednesday and Thursday. The attractions plan to reopen for regular hours on Friday.
Sentinel staff
Orange County expects heavy rain
At a Tuesday evening press conference, Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings said heavy rain is expected beginning Wednesday from Hurricane Milton.
Demings said western Orange County is expected to receive up to 15 inches of rain while the eastern county could receive up to 10 inches. Orange public works director Joe Kunkel said there may be localized flooding in Orlo Vista and other flood-prone areas.
Silas Morgan
Orlando leaders offer Tuesday midday storm update
With about 24 hours until people are urged to hunker down, a snaking line of hundreds of cars waited to shovel mountains of sand into bags at Camping World Stadium Tuesday morning. By 11 a.m. the city had brought in 20 dump truck loads of sand, with more on the way.
Forecasts heightened the flooding risk overnight, warning parts of Central Florida could be 12 inches of rain, with the potential for Category 1 level winds.
“If we end up having the type of rain they’re predicting today…we’re going to have flooding, there’s no doubt about that,” Mayor Buddy Dyer said.
Public works Director Corey Knight said his teams are examining storm drains and had lowered lake weirs as low as they can in preparation for the storm. But a foot of rainfall is sure to challenge stormwater systems.
“We’ve prepared our lakes…and making sure we’re as good as possible,” Knight said. “When you get a large amount of rainfall there’s only so much we can do, but we’re making all of those preparations.”
Residents should report any flooding or related concerns to orlando.gov/flood, or can call 407-246-2238 during the storm.
Reporting issues allows city crews to create work orders to address any problems as soon as possible.
Dyer said residents should finish preparations Tuesday, and prepare supplies for power outages that could last three days.
Power restoration may be slowed because out-of-state crews that usually come to help are already stationed in the Carolinas where Hurricane Helene unleashed devastation just two weeks ago.
Ryan Gillespie
Salvation Army prepares to assist during, after Milton
The Salvation Army of Orange and Osceola Counties is ramping up efforts to provide essential services to those affected such as shelter, food and emergency assistance.
The Women’s & Children’s Shelter and the Men’s & Veterans’ Shelter at The Salvation Army’s Orlando Area Command, 416 W. Colonial Dr., will remain open 24 hours a day, offering emergency shelter and safe refuge for those experiencing homelessness while in the path of Milton. Residents will be given meals and access to showers.
Ahead of Milton, the agency is distributing shelter bags to those in need — providing essential supplies — and informing people about its available shelter options.
In the immediate aftermath of Milton, the agency is prepared to mobilize its Emergency Disaster Services teams to respond to the hardest-hit areas.
“Our mobile canteen and rapid response vehicle, capable of distributing up to 1,500 meals per day, will be deployed to provide critical food supplies to affected individuals and families,” Area Commander Major Ken Chapman said.
Alongside meals, The Salvation Army’s Emergency Response teams will distribute toiletry kits and offer spiritual care.
While in-kind donations of new items will be accepted after the storm — such as blankets, socks, towels, toiletries, baby supplies, pre-packaged snacks, and wipes — the most effective way for the public to support widespread relief efforts is through monetary donations.
Donations can be made by visiting helpsalvationarmy.org. For those interested in staying updated on the agency’s local efforts and response to Milton, the TSA Orlando mobile app is available for free download and offers real-time information.
Gov. DeSantis suspends toll collection in Central Florida
Governor Ron DeSantis suspended road tolls across Central Florida and West Florida, as well as Alligator Alley, for one week in preparation for Hurricane Milton. His office said in a press release the suspension will make it easier for Floridians and visitors to evacuate if and when directed by local officials. Tolls will be waived for seven days beginning at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, October 7, 2024.
Here is a list of affected roads.
Turnpike Mainline between I-75 (MP 309) and Canoe Creek Service Plaza (MP 229)
S.R. 453
S.R. 451
Wekiva Parkway
Apopka Expressway
Beachline Expressway
Central Florida Greenway
East-West Expressway
I-4 Express
Western Beltway
Osceola Parkway
Poinciana Parkway
Southern Connector Extension
Seminole Expressway/Polk Parkway
Sentinel staff