Tampa’s port is bracing for Hurricane Milton as the Category 5 storm rapidly strengthens as it barrels toward the state.
Port Tampa Bay said Sunday afternoon that it was monitoring the storm and working with local and state partners. The port has initiated its weather advisory group to monitor impacts to the port and its waterways.
Milton is expected to bring heavy rains to Florida from Monday through Wednesday night. Forecasters predict 5 to 10 inches of rain will be dumped on portions of the Florida
Peninsula and the Keys, with some areas seeing 15 inches. The rain is forecast to cause considerable flooding, the National Hurricane Center said.
The hurricane center called Milton’s intensification “remarkable” and said the storm developed into a Category 5 Monday afternoon. Some weakening is expected before it reaches the Florida Gulf Coast, but it will still make landfall as a life-threatening hurricane.
Landfall could be anywhere from Cedar Key to Fort Myers, the National Weather Service in Tampa Bay said.
Meteorologists are forecasting up to 12 feet of storm surge into Tampa Bay — the highest ever — if the storm’s center hits near the city.
