Florida's Gulf Coast is bracing for a dangerous Sunday-night landfall. Hurricane Milton — described by forecasters as an extremely powerful Category 3 hurricane — is expected to make landfall near St. Petersburg at around 8 p.m. ET, the Associated Press and CNN reported, threatening the Tampa Bay region with storm surge of up to 10 to 15 feet.
As of Sunday afternoon the storm was about 100 miles west-southwest of Tampa, packing sustained winds in excess of 120 mph. Hurricane watches and flood watches cover the St. Petersburg and Tampa areas, with the National Weather Service watches running into the early hours of Monday.
The Tampa Bay region faces a compound threat: destructive winds at landfall, life-threatening surge pushing into bays and inlets, and extreme rainfall on already saturated ground. Evacuation orders and shelter openings were in effect across the impact zone through the weekend.
Milton is the second major hurricane to strike Florida's Gulf Coast in a matter of weeks, compounding recovery strain for communities still clearing debris. Officials urged residents in the surge zone who had not yet left to do so before conditions deteriorate Sunday evening.
