Update: October 10, 2024, at 8:10 a.m. ET
Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida on Wednesday night
as a Category 3 storm, bringing damaging winds, heavy rain, life-threatening
floods, dangerous storm surge, and devastating tornadoes.
According to Weather.com,
the torrential downpours and winds of 120 mph that Milton brought Wednesday
night were enough to rip the roof off Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg and left
several people in the region dead.
At least three million people in the region were left
without electricity.
Milton is expected to exit the east coast of Florida on
Thursday morning as a Category 1 storm, with winds dropping to 85 mph as it
approaches the Atlantic Ocean.
Airports in the region closed on Wednesday and remain
shuttered until the storm clear and damage assessment can be completed, Including
facilities in Tampa Bay, Orlando, Southwest Florida and more.
Flight tracking website FlightAware.com
revealed that over 2,200 flights within, into, or out of the United States were
canceled so far on Thursday, while another 400-plus were delayed. More than 400
flights scheduled for Friday have already been canceled.
On Wednesday, over 1,900 flights within, into, or out of the
United States were canceled and another 2,300-plus were delayed.
For the cruise industry, Milton continues to wreak havoc on
planned sailings and current itineraries, as several major ports in Florida—including
Port Tampa Bay, Port Canaveral, and JaxPort—remain closed to traffic.
Amtrak’s Silver Service and Auto Train Service were canceled
through Friday.
Update: October 9, 2024, at 8:20 a.m. ET
Hurricane Milton re-strengthened into a Category 5 storm
overnight, carrying winds of up to 160 mph, with tropical-storm-force winds up
to 125 miles from its center, as of 5 a.m. ET.
According to Weather.com,
the National Hurricane Center (NHC) revealed that Milton is expected to make
landfall in Florida tonight into early Thursday where it poses a major threat
to life and property.
The massive hurricane is forecast to hit the already Helene
damaged state with destructive storm surge, devastating wind damage,
potentially catastrophic flooding rainfall, and several tornadoes.
Flight tracking website FlightAware.com revealed that over
1,700 flights within, into, or out of the United States were already canceled
Wednesday morning at 8 a.m. ET, while another 200-plus were delayed so far. More
than 1,700 flights scheduled for Thursday have already been canceled.
Airports in Tampa paused operations on Tuesday night, while facilities
in Clearwater, Fort Meyers, Orlando, and Sarasota were scheduled to temporarily
close on Wednesday.
As for the cruise industry, several major Florida ports have
closed, including Port Tampa Bay, Port Canaveral, and JaxPort, after the Coast
Guard said it is placing them under "Port Condition Zulu," which
means no vessels can go in or out of the port.
As a result, cruise lines serving Florida are changing itineraries,
adding days to voyages and avoiding the path of Milton for the safety of
passengers.
Rail travel was also impacted, as Amtrak said, “Due to
Hurricane Milton's impending arrival, select trains will operate a modified
schedule for Amtrak customers' and employees' safety. Despite our efforts,
alternate transportation will not be available.”
For travelers visiting Florida for the theme parks, the Walt
Disney World Resort is joining other properties closing ahead of the storm, including
SeaWorld and Universal Studios Orlando. Disney parks will close in phases
beginning at 1 p.m. on Wednesday.
Update: October 8, 2024, at 7:00 p.m. ET
Hurricane Milton is moving toward Florida as a Category 5 storm packing maximum sustained winds of 165 mph, according to the latest data from the National Hurricane Center.
Tampa and many parts of Florida's Gulf Coast are under evacuation orders as the storm is expected to make landfall as a devastating major hurricane in the coming days.
Airports have already begun preparations, with some suspending operations in anticipation. Tampa International Airport closed Tuesday morning and Orlando International Airport will halt commercial operations on Wednesday morning.
According to flight-tracking website FlightAware.com, travelers can also anticipate cancellations and delays at airports in Sarasota, Fort Myers and Clearwater in the hours and days to come.
As always, travelers are encouraged to check their flight status with their airline prior to arriving at the airport.
Theme parks across the state of Florida are also closing or announcing operational impacts ahead of Milton's landfall.
Update: October 8, 2024, at 1:40 p.m. ET
Hurricane Milton is around 500 miles southwest of Tampa and moving as a strong Category 4 storm packing winds of 150 miles per hour and growing. Tropical-storm-force winds have been recorded up to 105 miles from the center.
According to Weather.com, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said that “Milton has the potential to be one of the most
destructive hurricanes on record for west-central Florida.”
Hurricane warnings cover much of central Florida, including the Tampa Bay area, Fort Myers, Orlando, and Daytona Beach. Tropical storm watches and warnings cover other parts of Florida, southeast Georgia and southern South Carolina.
Flight tracking website FlightAware.com revealed that nearly 1,200 flights within, into, or out of the United States were delayed, while another 700-plus
were canceled, as of Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. ET. More than 1,500 flights scheduled for Wednesday have already been canceled.
Update: October 8, 2024, at 8:15 a.m. ET
Hurricane Milton is a Category 4 storm that continues to strengthen as it makes its way toward Florida, bringing with it potentially historic storm surge, widespread wind damage, flooding rainfall and tornadoes, starting on Wednesday.
According to Weather.com, Milton will weaken gradually on approach to Florida due to increasing wind shear and dry air,
but should remain a Category 3 hurricane as it makes landfall sometime later Wednesday into early Thursday.
Florida government officials said that all hurricane preparations should be rushed to completion on Tuesday and evacuation orders should be heeded. The National Hurricane Center is forecasting storm surge as much as 10 to 15 feet above ground level along
the western Florida Gulf Coast, including the Tampa Bay area.
The airline industry has started to adjust, as Tampa International Airport suspended operations at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport at 12:30 p.m., and Sarasota Bradenton International Airport at 4:30 p.m. local time.
Orlando International Airport will close Wednesday morning.
Airlines serving impacted Florida airports have issued travel advisories and waived change fees, and many carriers increased the number of flights departing from the region to accommodate people evacuating the region.
The cruise industry is also preparing, as several of the largest cruise ports in the world are monitoring the storm and preparing to close. Carnival Cruise Line has already announced several major changes to impacted itineraries, while Disney Cruise Line,
Royal Caribbean International and other companies are working with passengers to ensure safety.
Amtrak also revealed it would operate a modified schedule due to Milton.
As for the theme park industry, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay announced it would close on Tuesday, while Walt Disney World Resort the Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground, the Copper Creek Cabins and the Treehouse Villas at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort &
Spa will close Wednesday.
The full Disney World theme park is on high alert and will close to guests if necessary.
Update: Monday, October 7, 2024, at 4:15 p.m. ET
Cruise lines are adjusting their itineraries throughout the Atlantic and Caribbean in anticipation of Hurricane Milton, which is expected to make landfall along Florida's Gulf Coast as a major Category 5 storm on Wednesday.
According to Travel Weekly, Carnival Cruise Line's Carnival Pride will arrive in Bermuda
a day earlier than planned and remain there for three days.
Meanwhile, Celebrity Cruises' Celebrity Reflection's four-day cruise out of Fort Lauderdale will skip its scheduled call in Key West on Tuesday and visit Nassau, Bahamas instead.
Royal Caribbean International is also being impacted as Grandeur of the Seas' five-day Western Caribbean cruise out of Tampa will transition to the Eastern Caribbean and call at Nassau on Thursday. The ship will skip Costa Maya and Cozumel, Mexico out
of caution.
Plus, Independence of the Seas' Western Caribbean cruise out of Miami will call in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic instead of Cozumel on Tuesday.
Harmony of the Seas' six-day Western Caribbean sailing out of Galveston will spend Tuesday at sea and skip its Wednesday call at Roatan in favor of Costa Maya.
Symphony of the Seas will bypass Port Canaveral and Perfect Day at CocoCay and Nassau, Bahamas for Puerto Plata on Wednesday and Labadee, Haiti on Thursday.
Wonder of the Seas' seven-day sailing out of Port Canaveral will cancel its Wednesday call at Cozumel and instead visit Falmouth, Jamaica. The ship will also avoid Roatan on Thursday and Costa Maya on Friday, sailing to Cozumel to start the weekend.
Finally, Utopia of the Seas will change plans and visit Perfect Day at CocoCay on Tuesday and Nassau on Thursday.
Update: Monday, October 7, 2024, at 8:05 a.m. ET
Hurricane Milton continued to intensify into a Category 3 storm overnight, prompting Florida to issue a state of emergency for 51 counties and post hurricane and storm surge watches along the state’s western Gulf Coast.
According to Weather.com, Hurricane Milton is expected to bring life-threatening storm surge, destructive winds, and flooding
rainfall by midweek, resulting in a hurricane watch from Chokoloskee northward to the mouth of the Suwannee River, including Tampa Bay.
As for the tropical storm watches, they extend north and south of the hurricane watch into Florida's Big Bend and along the southwest Florida coast. VISIT FLORIDA is regularly updating the Current Travel Safety Information page with the latest details
for both residents and visitors, and is working closely with the Florida Division of Emergency Management and ESF-18.
While airlines serving Florida have already started issuing travel advisories and waiving change fees, airports in regions along Milton’s projected path are on high alert. Officials from St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport said they are awaiting
evacuation orders before closing its terminal, while Tampa International is monitoring the storm to determine if a closure will be necessary.
In the cruise industry, Carnival Cruise Line is watching the following itineraries for potential adjustments:
- From Tampa: Carnival Paradise
- From New Orleans: Carnival Valor and Carnival Liberty
- From Jacksonville: Carnival Elation
- From Port Canaveral: Carnival Glory
- From PortMiami: Carnival Sunrise
Original Text
Barely two weeks after Hurricane Helene caused so much devastation in the southern United States, forecasters are calling for yet another storm.
This one, dubbed Tropical Storm Milton, has the potential to be extremely impactful, especially since it is forecast to blanket
the state of Florida.
Although the storm is not expected to reach landfall until Tuesday night or Wednesday morning, at least two airlines have already issued travel advisories. Right now, the disturbance is only considered a tropical storm but it is expected to evolve into
a major hurricane.
Both JetBlue Airways and United Airlines have
decided to err on the side of caution.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has already issued a state of emergency in 35 Florida counties and cruise lines are also making preparations as well. Royal Caribbean issued
a statement that read in parts: “The path could shift over the next few days before Milton makes landfall but the hurricane will hit somewhere along the Gulf Coast by late Tuesday night or early Wednesday.”
Some areas still have piles of debris on their roads from Helene. Milton was described as ‘potentially, dangerous and destructive.’
“This is an unusual and extremely concerning forecast track for a hurricane approaching the Tampa Bay area,” warned AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jon Porter. “Milton could rapidly intensify into a major hurricane with extreme impacts. This hurricane
could create a life-threatening storm surge. Please make sure your family and in friends in this area are prepared.”
Travelers should continue to monitor their respective airlines and cruise lines.
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