‘Time is running out': Hurricane Milton, with winds near 150 mph, bears down on Florida

Hurricane Milton weakened to a Category 4 early Tuesday, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami, but the storm still posed a dire threat to Florida as officials issued warnings to residents to evacuate ahead of landfall.

“Time is running out," Gov. Ron DeSantis said on Tuesday. "But you do have time today to heed any evacuation orders and do what you need to do to protect yourself and your families.”

The storm was expected to reach Florida's Gulf Coast between 10 p.m Wednesday and 2 a.m. Thursday. It appears headed for Tampa, where the National Hurricane Center is warning of up to 15 feet of storm surge.

Milton is a Category 4 storm with winds near 150 mph. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 30 miles from the center and winds of tropical storm force extend outward up to 105 miles, according to the NHC. As such, the storm is expected to cause widespread damage when it makes landfall and as it moves east across central Florida through Thursday.

The storm is likely to bring up to 12 inches of rainfall, with localized totals up to 18 inches, across parts of Florida through Thursday. Intense rainfall is expected to cause life-threatening flash and urban flooding, together with moderate to major river flooding.

“Today is the last full day for Florida residents to get their families and homes ready and evacuate if told to do so by local officials,” the hurricane center said.

Milton landed on the Mexican Caribbean coast on Tuesday, bringing strong winds that knocked down trees and disrupted power lines across Quintana Roo.

Milton spared Quintana Roo’s beaches on its way north to Florida, but local officials said the state continues to be on moderate risk alert in the north.

“The precipitation generated by this tropical system could generate landslides, increases in the levels of rivers and streams, as well as overflows and floods in the mentioned states,” an advisory said.

Mexican officials said so far no fatalities have been reported, only minor damages such as waterlogged roads, fallen trees, and power outages.

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On Monday afternoon, the NHC said the storm had "explosively" intensified into a "potentially catastrophic" Category 5 hurricane in a matter of hours.

The storm could weaken further to a Category 3 before it makes landfall Wednesday on the west coast of Florida, NBC News forecasters said.

Still, by key measures, Milton is shaping up to be one of the most powerful Atlantic hurricanes on record, and it has done so in an astonishingly short amount of time, evolving from Tropical Depression 14 to a Category 5 hurricane in less than three days, according to NBC News.

Tampa Bay has not been hit directly by a major hurricane since 1921, and authorities fear luck is about to run out for the region and its 3.3 million residents. President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration for Florida, and U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor said 7,000 federal workers were mobilized to help in one of the largest mobilizations of federal personnel in history, The Associated Press reported.

“This is the real deal here with Milton,” Tampa Mayor Jane Castor told a Monday news conference. “If you want to take on Mother Nature, she wins 100% of the time."

DeSantis said Monday that an around-the-clock operation to clear debris and fallen trees from Helene was underway ahead of Milton's arrival to minimize the threat from flying objects. He said Milton is expected to make landfall in Hillsborough or Pinellas County on Wednesday evening, and he preemptively issued emergency declarations for 51 counties.

Pinellas County, which occupies the Tampa Bay peninsula and its Atlantic-facing coast, has begun mandatory evacuations, according to a sheriff’s notice.

For a list of all Florida evacuation orders click here.