Hurricane Milton is approaching the central Gulf coast late Wednesday afternoon. At 5 pm, the powerful category 3 hurricane was about 60 miles west-southwest of Sarasota.
The National Hurricane Center now says landfall is expected near or just south of the Tampa Bay area late Wednesday night or very early Thursday morning. Milton will then move across Florida generally in an easterly direction on Thursday. At 5 pm, Milton was about 170 miles southwest of Orlando.
Milton was moving northeast at 17 miles per hour late Wednesday afternoon, but it is forecast to slow down a bit before landfall. Maximum sustained winds were 120 miles per hour. Some weakening is possible before landfall, but Milton is likely to remain a major hurricane as it comes ashore.
Hurricane force winds extend up to 35 miles from the center of Milton, and tropical storm force winds extend as much as 205 miles from the center.
All of South Florida remains under a tropical storm warning. The Naples area is under a storm surge warning, and the Keys can expect coastal flooding. But the hurricane watch south of Bonita Beach has been discontinued.
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