Florida Braces for Hurricane Milton, With Storm Surge That Could Outdo Helene

The Florida Division of Emergency Management is prepared for the largest evacuation since Hurricane Irma in 2017.

Satellite image of Tropical Storm Milton forming in the Gulf of Mexico as of 12:01 p.m. ET on Oct. 6, 2024. CIRA/NOAA

TAMPA—Florida is bracing for what could be its biggest evacuation in seven years, as Hurricane Milton strengthens and heads toward major population centers including Tampa and Orlando.

Hurricane Milton was centered late Sunday night about 230 miles west-northwest of Progreso, Mexico, and 765 miles west-southwest of Tampa, with maximum sustained winds of 90 mph, the National Hurricane Center reported.