There was an uneasiness in Southwest Florida as the most powerful October hurricane in recorded history charged toward the state's coast and evacuations were in full force Tuesday.
Similar to storms like 2004's Charley and 2022's Ian that instead ended up turning and hammering Southwest Florida, Hurricane Milton's target seems to be centered on Tampa Bay. But a lot of this region remained in the National Hurricane Center's cone of concern, and even with a direct hit further north late Wednesday or early Thursday, impacts, such as potentially deadly storm surge. were very much in play for Lee and Collier counties. Tropical storm force winds were expected to begin here Wednesday morning.
Here's what to know.
What are Milton rain and storm surge predictions for Southwest Florida?
Hurricane and storm surge warnings and a flood watch were part of what was in effect Tuesday for most of Southwest Florida, which could experience several hours of hurricane force winds starting late Wednesday. Meteorologists say isolated tornadoes were also possible, with about "6 inches of rain through Thursday morning, and that's the entire timeframe of the event," said Anthony Reynes, a senior National Weather Service forecaster.
Surge is harder to predict, dependent on tides and Category 4 (as of Tuesday afternoon) Milton's track, but it could reach 10 feet in spots, made more risky by sand dune loss during Hurricane Helene. A strike south of Tampa would "greatly increase the risk for significant, damaging water inundation in areas that experienced widespread destruction from Hurricane Ian’s storm surge, especially areas near Fort Myers, Naples and Charlotte Harbor," AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jon Porter said. "Many of the sand dunes and other natural protection have been destroyed."
Evacuations on Sanibel, FMB, Marco and all along coast ahead of Milton
On Sanibel, where inhabitants were expected to be off the island Tuesday night as part of evacuations and a curfew was in place, City Manager Dana Souza was preparing for up to 10 feet of storm surge: “Everyone should anticipate flooding throughout the island. This is expected to be a major event," Souza said.
Similar scenes were occurring on Fort Myers Beach, Marco Island, Bonita Springs and all along the coast, as Lee and Collier counties opened shelters.
Where are Collier County shelters, and which government ones take pets?
St. Matthew’s House was the first to open shelters in Collier County that will operate through Thursday at the Campbell Lodge at 2001 Airport Road S. in Naples and the Immokalee Friendship Lodge at 602 W. Main St.
Collier County opened its Special Needs-Only Shelter at 2 p.m. Tuesday at Palmetto Ridge High School for electrically dependent or bedridden pre-registered clients who require nursing care. A family member or caregiver is asked to accompany the special needs person to the shelter. The shelter is located at 1655 Victory Lane and it's pet friendly.
With pets only allowed at middle schools, general population shelters opened at 4 p.m. Tuesday.
- Gulf Coast High School:7878 Shark Way
- Immokalee High School:701 Immokalee Drive
- Golden Gate High School:2925 Titan Way
- Corkscrew Middle School(Pet-Friendly):1165 Oil Well Road
- Cypress Palm Middle School(Pet-Friendly): 4255 18th Ave. N.E.
- Golden Gate Middle School(Pet-Friendly): 2701 48th Terrace S.W.
- Immokalee Middle School(Pet-Friendly): 401 9th St.
- Oakridge Middle School(Pet-Friendly): 14975 Collier Blvd.
Where are the Lee County shelters? Is Hertz Arena available for use?
In Lee County, Hertz Arena, 11000 Everblades Parkway, Estero, opened Tuesday as an evacuation shelter. Other Lee shelters, which all allow pets, include:
- Island Coast High School, 2125 De Navarra Parkway, North Cape Coral
- Dunbar High School, 3800 Edison Ave., Fort Myers
- Gateway High School, 13820 Griffin Drive, Fort Myers
- Estero Recreation Center, 9200 Corkscrew Palms Blvd., Estero
- Oak Hammock Middle School, 5321 Tice St., Fort Myers
- Tortuga Preserve Elementary School, 1711 Gunnery Road N.. Lehigh Acres
- Treeline Elementary School, 10900 Treeline Ave., Fort Myers
- Varsity Lakes Middle School, 801 Gunnery Road N., Lehigh Acres
Expect 'prolonged power outages' after Hurricane Milton moves through
Accuweather's Porter said there's potential for widespread power outages. And that's complicated more by the mess left by Hurricane Helene that has electrical personnel already doing major repairs from the Sunshine State to the devastated mountain areas of North Carolina and Tennessee.
"We got lineman all over the East Coast," said veteran storm bloggerMike Boylan, doing live reports this week on his Mike'sWeather Pagesite, a state Division ofEmergency Managementpartner. "I don't think we're going to see the response because they're already helping the Helene folks. (We) are going to see a lot of people with prolonged power outages."
When will Southwest Florida International Airport be closed?
With the potential danger, usually bustling Southwest Florida International Airport has no flights operating Wednesday or Thursday.
Other airports were closing late Tuesday, such as Marco Island Executive Airport and Everglades Airpark, said Collier County Airport Operations Executive Manager Bryant Garrett, who Thursday will assess future plans.
Southwest Florida:With powerful Milton's Fla. landing still unclear on Monday, residents prepare for surge
Hospital locations 'closely monitoring' the situation; schedules affected
Hospitals and doctor offices were having to cut back on care Tuesday as Hurricane Milton approached. For example, while emergency rooms will remain open unless the danger becomes too great, NCH will close some outpatient centers Wednesday, such as NCH Medical Group practices and Immediate Care Centers, NCH Wellness and Rehab Centers and Marco Urgent Care Center. All elective surgeries were also cancelled Wednesday and Thursday.
“We are closely monitoring the situation and making necessary adjustments to ensure that all patients receive the care they need, whether they are discharged or remain in our care during the storm,” said Jennifer Smith, administrative director of NCH's Emergency Management. “We urge all patients to prioritize safety during the storm should it alter course and make landfall closer to Collier County."
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How Hurricane Milton is affecting SW Florida businesses including Publix
Schools were already closed through at least Thursday, and many businesses and churches through Southwest Florida followed suit and were going to be closed Wednesday, or at least adjusting hours.
About 500 Publix locations have modified their schedules, and most in Lee and Collier counties were closing Tuesday afternoon.
USA TODAY Network team membersDave Osborn, Mark H. Bickel, Laura Layden,Chad Gillis,Amy Bennett Williams,Cindy McCurry-Ross,Mickenzie Hannon,Liz Freeman,J. Kyle Foster, Kate Cimini, Samantha Neely,Cheryl McCloudand Wendy Fullerton Powellcontributed to this report. Based at the Naples Daily News,Columnist Phil Fernandez(pfernandez@gannett.com) grew up in Southwest Florida and has ledPulitzer Prize-winning efforts. Support democracy.Subscribe to a newspaper.
This story was updated to add a video.