Edge of monster storm plows into densely populated coast

Paula Acosta, right, moves her dogs into Middleton High School as their family takes shelter from Hurricane Milton, in Tampa, Fla., on Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (Emily Kask/The New York Times)

By Patricia Mazzei and Jacey Fortin

Hurricane Milton’s outer edge buffeted Florida on Wednesday afternoon, as nearly the entire state felt the impact of a powerful storm still many hours from landfall. People raced to board up homes at the last minute, and residents as far north as Tallahassee rushed to shelters. Tornado warnings blanketed the state.

Milton’s winds slowed enough for it to weaken to a Category 3 hurricane by late afternoon, but forecasters warned that the change in classification would do little to reduce its potentially devastating effects. Even people on the state’s opposite coast, along the Atlantic, were warned about the possibility of damaging storm surge.

The center of the storm, one of the most powerful on record in the Gulf of Mexico, was expected to come ashore around midnight, though exactly where remains uncertain.

Joe Schoonover, a hurricane shutter business owner, left, loads filled gas cans into his truck in preparation for Hurricane Milton in Cape Coral, Fla., on Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (Paul Ratje/The New York Times)

Here’s the latest:

— Where it’s going: Forecasters cautioned that Milton’s exact landfall — the spot where the eye comes ashore — is still “not possible to predict.” The current path has the storm veering slightly south of Tampa, toward Sarasota, where some residents insisted on staying despite evacuation orders.

— Widespread impact: Avoiding the effects of Milton seemed impossible for almost all Florida residents Wednesday afternoon, with 51 of 67 counties under a state of emergency.

— Raging winds: Tornado-producing thunderstorms from Milton were sweeping across southern Florida on Wednesday. That can happen when hurricanes approach land, but the phenomenon appears notably intense this time. One particularly dangerous tornado formed in the Fort Myers area, and more could follow.

— Emergency aid: President Joe Biden pledged the full support of the federal government, but officials warned that falsehoods and rumors spreading online about the government’s response were harming relief efforts.

“We really don’t know how much water this storm will bring so I am scared, but it’s too late to leave,” McKinstry said. “All we can do is cross our fingers and pray.”

Willet Jean fills sandbags, in Orlando, Fla., on Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. Tropical storm-force winds from Hurricane Milton lashed cities on Florida’s western shoreline and spun up tornadoes across the state many hours before landfall. (Callaghan O’Hare/The New York Times)