Hurricane Milton latest: Prisons evacuate thousands of inmates as Florida braces for ‘unsurvivable’ hurricane
Key points
- The US is bracing for Hurricane Milton, which could be the worst to hit Florida in more than a century. The storm is expected to make landfall late on Wednesday.Florida prisons evacuate thousands of inmatesNASA astronaut captures ‘eye of storm’ from space
Universal Studios and Disney World to close ahead of hurricane
Hundreds of flights cancelledMillion told to evacuate and warned storm is ‘not survivable’What route will Hurricane Milton take?Live reporting by Mark Wyatt
01:01:01 Analysis: How Biden handles Hurricane Milton could be election’s ‘October surprise’
By James Matthews, US correspondent
The US election doesn’t stop for a hurricane.
As Florida hunkers down for its second major storm in two weeks, White House contestants blow hard on the politics of disaster.
There was a time when disaster relief was wrapped in political unity; opponents coming together for the greater good and bigger need.
No longer. Florida’s misery further fuels the bare-knuckle contest.
With the polls tight between Trump and Harris, anything resembling an “October surprise” reeks of the potential to engineer a shift.
Cue Donald Trump’s damning critique of the Biden administration’s handling of the hurricane relief effort, albeit on the basis of false and unsubstantiated claims.
There has been emphatic rejection from the White House and denunciation by relief coordinators, furious at claims they say will undermine efforts to help people in need.
And that’s as far it goes. It has the shape of a discussion that will slow to a standstill without shifting the dial – yet.
What matters more is the shape of Florida once Hurricane Milton has passed through – the scale of loss and destruction will be a more pertinent indicator of a government’s ability to govern in times of crisis.
The point isn’t lost on President Biden. He cancelled his scheduled trips to Germany and Angola as Hurricane Milton came into view – fiddling while Florida drowns wouldn’t be a good look.
He is a president whose form in crisis management has hurt him – Ukraine and the Middle East are written on his record in red ink.
Should his performance not stand up to scrutiny on what could be one of America’s worst natural disasters, the impact would be acute – for him and Kamala Harris.
Former President George W Bush was forever haunted by his shortcomings around Hurricane Katrina in 2005. He was an American president seen to fail Americans who never forgave him for it.
The memory tainted one presidency then and it troubles another presidency now.
00:35:01 ‘If you stay you’re going to die’: Size of Hurricane Milton’s fiercest winds expected to double
The US National Hurricane Center upgraded Milton back to a Category 5 hurricane today – and expects its fiercest winds to double in size before making landfall.
“Milton’s wind field is expected to expand as it approaches Florida,” the centre said.
“In fact, the official forecast shows the hurricane and tropical-storm-force winds roughly doubling in size by the time it makes landfall.”
A hurricane’s total wind field is made up of hurricane/storm-force winds at its centre and lighter winds towards its edges.
Milton is around 480 miles southwest of Tampa, moving east-northeast at 9mph.
A direct hit on the bay area would be the first since 1921, when the now-sprawling Tampa-St Petersburg-Clearwater area was a relative backwater.
Today it is home to more than three million people – more than a million of whom have been told to evacuate.
Tampa mayor Jane Castor warned people against riding out the storm: “If you choose to stay in one of those evacuation areas, you’re going to die.”
Among those heeding her warning was Estephani Veliz Hernandez, who said she and her family were collecting their pets, important documents and cash before heading to a relative’s home further inland.
“We’re leaving everything behind. We’re just trying to get to safety,” she said.
“If anything happens – if God says here you go – we’re all together at least.”
23:59:01 Virgin Atlantic cancels UK-Florida flights
Virgin Atlantic has cancelled a number of flights over the next few days due to Hurricane Milton.
The airline cancelled two flights on Tuesday, one from Heathrow to Tampa, and one from Tampa to Heathrow, and nine tomorrow, including one from Manchester to Orlando, one from Orlando to Manchester, and the others involving Heathrow.
A further 11 flights have been called off on Thursday, involving Heathrow, Manchester, Orlando and Tampa, and two flights from Edinburgh to Orlando have been delayed by 23 hours, one on Wednesday and one on Thursday.
“The safety and comfort of our customers and crew is our top priority and we are contacting any Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Atlantic Holiday customers who may be impacted by the hurricane to discuss their options,” said the airline.
23:33:20 UK warns travellers against ‘life-threatening’ storm
The British Foreign Office has updated its travel advice, warning of the risk of “life-threatening storm surge and high winds” in Florida.
It told travellers to monitor the US National Hurricane Centre website, follow instructions from local authorities, and to check with airlines or travel agents about possible disruption to flights.
“There is an increasing risk of life-threatening storm surge and high winds on the west coast and heavy rainfall and high winds are expected to impact large parts of Florida,” it said.
22:50:21 Milton storm surge could reach tops of palm trees
Thousands of people have heeded evacuation warnings across Florida and are fleeing the path of Hurricane Milton.
The timing of the storm comes two weeks after Category 4 Hurricane Helene claimed the lives of more than 230 people.
“I think people were given a sharp reminder about the potential for loss of life that comes with hurricanes last week when Hurricane Helene hit,” says our US correspondent James Matthews, in Florida.
The storm is due to make landfall tomorrow night and threatens to be one of the strongest ever to hit the panhandle state.
Both President Joe Biden and Florida’s governor Ron DeSantis have stressed that residents evacuate quickly.
Milton’s storm surge could be as tall as 15ft, which Matthews says is the height of some palm trees on Florida’s western coast.
“That is the height potentially of water that will come ashore here on the coastline and will travel far inland,” he explains.
“That caused loss of life two weeks ago with Hurricane Helene and that is the clear concern this time.
“That’s why large parts of the state are under warning, subject to evacuation orders.”
22:31:17 Georgia declares state of emergency for Hurricane Milton
This from our US partner network NBC News.
Georgia governor Brian Kemp has declared a state of emergency in anticipation of the impacts from Hurricane Milton.
The order, which went into effect today and will last until 16 October, enables the state to provide assistance to people and communities affected by the storm.
Milton is expected to make landfall along Florida’s west coast, but parts of Georgia are under a tropical storm watch and could be hit with strong winds and heavy rainfall as Milton crosses the Florida peninsula.
Mr Kemp today also extended a state of emergency for counties that are still recovering from Hurricane Helene.
22:12:36 Milton upgraded back to Category 5 hurricane
The US National Hurricane Center has upgraded Milton back to a Category 5 storm.
It has maximum sustained winds of 165mph and is expected to fluctuate over the next 36 hours as it moves, it added.
22:10:01 ‘Astounding’ amount of lightning detected in Milton’s eyewall, meteorologist says
The amount of lightning inside Hurricane Milton is “unlike any event” seen by one expert.
Meteorologist and lightning safety specialist Chris Vagasky says Milton’s eyewall, where the storm’s strongest winds are, exhibited more than 58,000 lightning events in just 14 hours.
That’s more than one lightning event every second, which Mr Vagasky described as “astounding”.
Hurricane Ian, which became a Category 5 hurricane and caused widespread damage in Florida, Cuba and the Carolinas in 2022, only had roughly 1,000 lightning events.
The amount of lightning in Milton’s eyewall indicates that the hurricane is strengthening rapidly, Mr Vagasky added.
21:48:41 NASA astronaut captures ‘eye of storm’ from space
Astronauts onboard the Dragon Endeavour have captured images and video of Hurricane Milton from space.
Matthew Dominick shared a timelapse video from the SpaceX ship, showing the huge storm travelling eastwards and what appeared to be the “eye of the storm”.
“We flew over Hurricane Milton about 90 minutes ago,” said Dominick on X.
“Here is the view out the Dragon Endeavour window. Expect lots of images from this window, as this is where I’m sleeping while we wait to undock and return to Earth.”
21:32:30 Florida’s west coast ‘could get whacked with storm surge’
Florida governor Ron DeSantis has held a briefing to share updates on the approaching Hurricane Milton.
He warned residents across Florida’s west coast they “could get whacked” by storm surge after Milton’s landfall, expected tomorrow night.
“You absolutely could get whacked with really serious storm surge,” he said.
“Almost every place on the west coast of Florida could get a major storm surge.”
Mr DeSantis said residents still have a short window to execute their evacuation plans.
“You should be executing your plan now. If you’re going to get out, get out now,” he said.
“You have time today. Time will be running out very shortly, if you wait any longer.”
He also warned Floridians not to think Hurricane Milton was “just an event about the west coast of Florida”, with the storm set to move across the entire peninsula.
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