Hurricane Milton tracker: Live cameras from Florida
FLORIDA - Hurricane Milton strengthened as it churned through the Gulf of Mexico toward Florida on Wednesday and could wallop one of the state's major population centers with huge storm surges, lashing rain and destructive winds.
HURRICANE MILTON UPDATES: LIVE COVERAGE l LOCATION l PATH
Milton is threatening the Tampa Bay area, which is home to more than 3.3 million people. Milton is also menacing other stretches of Florida's west coast that were battered when Helene came ashore on Sept. 26.
Traffic was thick Wednesday as people fled the Tampa area ahead of Milton. As they evacuated, crews along the coast hurried to clear Helene's debris so that Milton doesn't turn it into dangerous projectiles.
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Hurricane Milton path tracker: Latest models, updates and more l LIVE coverage
The time to prepare for Milton is essentially over as the second major hurricane in as many weeks continues barreling toward Florida. Here's everything you need to know about the storm, including its location, projected path and impacts.
National Hurricane Center forecasters warned that Milton is "expected to be a dangerous major hurricane" when it reaches the Florida coast.
LIVE coverage of Hurricane Milton
Tornado in Broward County, Florida today
A live camera from the Florida Department of Transportation spotted a confirmed tornado on the ground Wednesday morning in South Florida as Hurricane Milton barreled toward the state.
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Tornado in Florida today captured as Hurricane Milton impacts state: VIDEO
A live camera from the Florida Department of Transportation spotted a confirmed tornado on the ground in South Florida as Hurricane Milton barreled toward the state.
The funnel cloud was initially spotted on the CCat Toll Plaza camera near Alligator Alley in Tamarac, which is in Broward County. The tornado was moving toward Palm Beach County, FOX 35 Storm Team Meteorologist Brooks Garner said. It eventually appeared to pull away from the ground and dissipate into the cloud.
The tornado threat for central Florida will grow Wednesday afternoon as the hurricane approaches the Gulf Coast, Garner said.
Milton location: Where is the hurricane now?
As of the latest advisory from the NHC, Hurricane Milton is located less than 200 miles southwest of Tampa and was moving off to the northeast at 17 mph.
Current info on Hurricane Milton. (FOX Weather)
NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center (SPC) says it’s concerned that "several tornadoes are likely" across parts of the central and southern Florida Peninsula in association with the hurricane, and already a Tornado Watch has been issued in preparation for that threat.
Several Tornado Warnings have already been issued as of Wednesday morning, and those will continue throughout the day and well into the evening and overnight hours.
This graphic shows active Tornado Watches and Severe Thunderstorm Watches. (FOX Weather)
The SPC says as Milton’s rain bands continue to flow into Florida, supercell thunderstorms capable of producing tornadoes, including strong tornadoes (EF-2 or higher), are likely to develop.
Hurricane Milton projected path
Hurricane Milton remains a powerful Category 4 hurricane with winds of 145 mph, and the storm is expected to remain a major hurricane when it makes landfall.
The forecast cone for Hurricane Milton. (FOX Weather)
According to forecasters, Milton will likely remain a major hurricane when it makes landfall on Florida's west coast later Wednesday evening or early Thursday morning.
Milton spaghetti models
Spaghetti forecast models for Hurricane Milton. (FOX Weather)
When does hurricane season end?
The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June to November. August, September and October are considered to be the peak months, with more than 85% of tropical systems forming during the three-month period.
FOX 35 Orlando, FOX Philadelphia and FOX Weather helped contribute to this report.