- Hurricane Milton will move northeastward across the Gulf of Mexico and approach the west coast of Florida today, then make landfall along the west-central coast of Florida late tonight or early Thursday morning. Milton is currently a Category 5 hurricane and is expected to remain an extremely dangerous major hurricane when it reaches the west-central Florida coast.
- 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 this afternoon through Thursday morning, possibly into Thursday afternoon and evening on the Bayside of the Upper Keys. Atlantic-facing shorelines will continue to experience crashing waves and overwash through today and into tonight, leading to saltwater flooding in the adjacent neighborhoods.
- Potential (about 1 in 5 chance) for sustained tropical storm-force winds of 40 to 50 mph. Tropical storm-force winds could arrive as early as late this morning, but would most likely arrive this afternoon or evening. Tropical storm-force winds could linger into Thursday morning.
- Thundery squalls with localized wind gusts of 55 to 65 mph through Thursday morning. These squalls will also bring blinding downpours, and cause ponding of water on roadways and in low lying spots.
- Potential for isolated tornadoes through tonight.
- Additional rainfall around 1 inch, with localized totals up to 2 inches, is possible through Thursday morning. 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 rushed to completion this morning.
The next update is scheduled for 12:00 PM Wednesday. .
Briefings are also posted to https://www.weather.gov/media/key/DSS/dssbrief_land.pdf