The latest weather brief concerning Hurricane Milton and the Florida Keys of Monroe County is below.
- Hurricane Milton will move northeastward across the Gulf of Mexico today and tonight, approach the west coast of Florida on Wednesday, and make landfall in Florida Wednesday night. Milton is currently a Category 4 hurricane and is expected to remain an extremely dangerous hurricane through landfall in Florida.
- A Tropical Storm Warning remains in effect for all of the Florida Keys from Ocean Reef to Key West.
- A Coastal Flood Warning remains in effect for all of the Florida Keys.
- A Hurricane Watch remains in effect for the Dry Tortugas.
- Potential impacts to the Florida Keys from Hurricane Milton include:
- Storm Surge flooding, with saltwater flooding of 1 to 3 feet above ground level in low elevation areas on the Gulf and Bayside from Wednesday afternoon through Thursday morning, possibly into Thursday evening on the Bayside of the Upper Keys. Atlantic-facing shorelines will be susceptible to crashing waves and overwash, leading to saltwater flooding in the adjacent neighborhoods.
- Potential (about 1 in 3 chance) for sustained tropical storm-force winds of 40 to 50 mph. Tropical storm-force winds could arrive as early as early morning Wednesday, but will most likely arrive Wednesday midday to afternoon. Tropical storm-force winds could linger into Thursday morning.
- Thundery squalls with localized wind gusts of 55 to 65 mph tonight through Thursday morning.
Potential for isolated tornadoes from late tonight through Wednesday night.
- Additional rainfall of 2 to 4 inches is likely through Wednesday night. Flooding of low-elevation streets and poor drainage areas will be possible in areas impacted by heavy downpours.
- Residents and visitors in the Florida Keys should closely monitor the progress of Hurricane Milton. Protective actions to secure loose outdoor objects from strong wind gusts and protect against saltwater flooding should be completed by this evening.
The next update is scheduled for 6:00 PM Tuesday.
Briefings are also posted to https://www.weather.gov/media/key/DSS/dssbrief_land.pdf