As of 2:00 p.m. Hurricane Milton is a Category Five storm with maximum sustained winds of 175 miles per hour. This storm has intensified more quickly than the models predicted over the weekend — and it could intensify further as it continues its path toward Florida’s west coast.
Its current projected path shows Hurricane Milton making landfall north of Tampa on Wednesday afternoon or early evening. Some models show it arriving to shore early Thursday morning.
The nature of this storm and its angle of approach mean areas south of where the eye makes landfall will experience significant winds and storm surge.
We check in with Tim Miller at the Florida Public Radio Emergency Network — and get a bit of historical context on similar storms that have hit southwest Florida in the past from WGCU’s Tom Hall, author of Historic Hurricanes of Fort Myers: How Three 19th Century Hurricanes Influenced the Town's Development.
Guests:
Tim Miller, director of the Florida Public Radio Emergency Network and University of Florida Chief Meteorologist.
Tom Hall, WGCU arts reporter and author
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