Hurricane Milton: This is what you need to know about the storm

Hurricane Milton Weather This GOES-16 GeoColor satellite image taken at 11:46 a.m. EDT and provided by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows Hurricane Milton in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Florida, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (NOAA via AP) (Uncredited/AP)

By Scott Flynn

ATLANTA — What you need to know:

  • Hurricane Milton is a Category 3 storm
  • The storm has sustained winds of 125 mph.
  • Expected to make landfall late Wednesday night, early Thursday morning
  • 9-13 feet of storm surge expected around Sarasota

Hurricane Milton is just hours away from making landfall in Florida and it’s anticipated to be a dangerous storm.

Severe Weather Team 2 has been tracking Milton’s progress around the clock.

As of 4 p.m., the storm had weakened again to a Category 3, but still dangerous storm with sustained winds of 125 mph.

Severe Weather Team 2 Meteorologist Ashley Kramlich said the storm is expected to weaken further before making landfall.

“The reason for that, the front that brought us that cool dry air that’s draped over the northern parts of Florida, Milton will interact with that, and we will start to see more of that sheer weakening this storm,” Kramlich said.

When the storm makes landfall, it is expected to hit as a Category 3 storm.

As it moves over land, it will continue to weaken to a Category 1 storm before moving out to the Atlantic by Thursday afternoon.

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On top of the strong winds from Milton, storm surge is going to be a major issue for parts of Florida.

“We’re going to be watching for some very dangerous storm surge around the Sarasota area,” Kramlich said.

Storm surge in that area is expected to be about 9-13 feet or storm surge. For perspective, most one-story buildings are about 10 feet tall, so the storm surge is likely to impact buildings past the first floor.

Most of Florida is under a hurricane or tropical storm warning. Georgia’s coast is now under a Tropical Storm Warning.

Severe Weather Team 2 also said southeast Georgia will see some rain, stronger wind gusts, and two to five feet of storm surge from Milton, but metro Atlanta and north Georgia will only see sunshine and breezy weather as the storm passes to the southeast.

Governor Brian Kemp has issued a State of Emergency until Oct. 16 for Hurricane Milton and the damage it may bring with it.

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