UPDATE - According to ABC News, Hurricane Milton made landfall on Florida's west coast Wednesday night as a Category 3 hurricane.
The monster storm came ashore bringing life-threatening storm surge and Category 3 winds of 120 mph winds near Siesta Key, Florida.
A flash flood warning is in effect for Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater until 11:30 p.m. ET, according to the National Weather Service.
Watch ABC News for live updates.
Hurricane Milton intensified on Monday into a Category 5 storm and remained on track to slam Florida’s Gulf Coast later in the week. Walt Disney World is also bracing for Hurricane Milton.
Shortly before noon, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported that the storm had intensified with maximum sustained winds reaching 160 mph. It had been upgraded to a category 4 just a few hours prior. It's now at 180 mph winds as of 6 pm, according to ABC News.
As of the morning of Monday, Oct. 7, the park's official Weather Updates page stated that the Orlando resort was still operating “under normal conditions," but noted, " We are closely monitoring the path of the projected storm as we continue to prioritize the safety of our Guests and Cast Members."
On Sunday, Oct. 6, Disney World seemingly paused hotel reservations for Wednesday and Thursday in anticipation of the hurricane making landfall.
If the park does temporarily close, it would only be the 12th time in Disney World’s 53-year history, according to Walt Disney World Magazine.
Nine of the past 11 closures were due to hurricanes: Floyd (September 1999), Charley (August 2004), Frances (September 2004), Jeanne (September 2004), Matthew (October 2016), Irma (September 2017), Dorian (September 2019), Ian (September 2022) and Nicole (November 2022).
Universal Orlando Resort has a similar warning on its website.
Milton was expected to make landfall in the Tampa Bay area sometime Wednesday, though meteorologists cautioned that the forecast could change in coming days.
Milton quickly gained Category 5 strength - Forecasters projected it would weaken slightly to a Category 4 storm before landfall.
“The system is still likely to be a large and powerful hurricane at landfall in Florida, with life-threatening hazards at the coastline and well inland,” National Hurricane Center experts wrote.
Meteorologists are predicting 5-10 inches of rain for most of the state, with pockets expecting up to 15 inches. Additionally, an 8- to 12-foot storm surge was predicted in Tampa Bay.
A large swath of Florida’s gulf coast was under a hurricane watch Monday, from Sewanee (100 miles north of Tampa) to Chokoloskee (across the peninsula from Miami).
Florida officials began warning residents on Sunday that many would be ordered to evacuate.
Gov. Ron DeSantis said, “I don’t think there’s any scenario where we don’t have major impacts at this point.” “If you’re on that west coast of Florida, barrier islands, just assume you’ll be asked to leave.”
On Monday, Milton remained in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico, near the Yucatan Peninsula, and traveled 9 mph eastward across the water, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The state was still recovering from Hurricane Helene, a Category 4 storm that hit on September 26 in the Big Bend region where the peninsula meets the panhandle.
Helene caused the deaths of at least 20 people in Florida and over 230 people nationwide.
Kevin Guthrie, Florida’s emergency management leader, stated that the department was preparing for the largest evacuation since Hurricane Irma in 2017, when 7 million people were told to leave. Hurricane Irma, a Category 4 storm, also caused the deaths of 92 people in the mainland U.S. Governor DeSantis declared a state of emergency in 51 of Florida’s 67 counties, including the major population centers of Broward, Duval, Hillsborough, Miami-Dade, Orange, Palm Beach, and Pinellas.
“This is not a good track for the state of Florida,” DeSantis said Sunday.
Milton was an unusual storm because it formed in the western Gulf of Mexico and tracked east toward Florida, as reported by meteorologists.
Most storms that hit Florida in October form in the Caribbean Sea.
The storm was forecasted to move directly across Florida and then out to sea, sparing other areas affected by Hurricane Helene Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, communities in the Appalachian Mountains—allowing them to safely continue clearing up the debris.
Airport closures -
Tampa International Airport will suspend operations starting at 9 a.m. on Tuesday and will remain closed to the public "until it can assess any damage after the storm," according to airport officials.
The St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport, located just outside of Tampa, will close at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, after its last flight departs, and will remain closed on Wednesday and Thursday.
"The airport is in a mandatory evacuation zone and is not a public shelter," airport officials tweeted. "Prepare and stay safe."
The Sarasota Bradenton International Airport in Sarasota will close at 4 p.m. on Tuesday and will reopen "once safe to do so," according to airport officials.
The Orlando International Airport will close Wednesday morning to commercial operations and will reopen as soon as it's safe, officials said.
"The airport is not closed and will remain open to accept emergency/aid and relief flights as necessary," airport officials said. "We will resume commercial operations as soon as possible based on damage assessment." as possible based on damage assessment."
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Our prayers go out to all those in Florida as they prepare for this storm. We pray they remain safe.