Final preparations for Hurricane Milton should be made Tuesday, officials advised as the powerful Category 4 hurricane makes its way to Florida.
Brevard County is under a hurricane warning, as well as under a local state of emergency.
The hurricane slowed a little as of Tuesday morning, but it’s still expected to move onto the west coast of Florida on Wednesday night and emerge out into the Atlantic during daylight hours Thursday, according to Tim Sedlock, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Melbourne.
” It will move across the state overnight Wednesday night and the eye would get to Brevard just after daylight Thursday morning,” Sedlock told FLORIDA TODAY. “The most likely time for tropical storm force winds is Wednesday evening across Brevard. It will then get worse through the night and through Thursday morning.”
It could be a Category 1 hurricane once it reaches Brevard.
“Hurricane preparations should be underway and completed by tonight,” according to the National Weather Service in Melbourne.
When is Hurricane Milton going to reach Florida?
The current forecast and hurricane tracker shows Hurricane Milton making landfall near Tampa Bay at 1 a.m. Thursday as a Category 3 tropical cyclone with storm winds topping 120 mph. The storm is expected to then cross the Florida Peninsula in the hours after and exit into the Atlantic Ocean somewhere possibly on the Space Coast.
The tracks change with updated forecasts, but you can keep up here.
Hurricane tracker:
Where is Hurricane Milton going and how strong could it get?
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As of 5 a.m. EDT: 155 mph
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12 hours: 160 mph
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24 hours: 155 mph
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36 hours: 145 mph (possibly close to time of landfall Wednesday night)
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48 hours: 125 mph (near the Atlantic coast)
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60 hours: 80 mph
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72 hours: 70 mph
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96 hours: 50 mph
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120 hours: 40 mph
Sign up for text messages updates about Hurricane Milton
The staff at USA Today Network is doing everything we can to keep the community updated and informed.
As a resource, we are manning a text message service to bring you the latest updates on Hurricane Milton, connect you with resources and answer questions. To sign up, submit your number below or text ‘Hello’ to (239) 241-6343.
This will give you direct access to reporters and editors in the newsroom who can help you find information about ongoing weather warnings, local services and more. Our journalists are based around the USA TODAY Network, so we can provide updates and answers for anyone following the approach of Hurricane Milton.
We will do our best to answer every question individually, but depending on volume of inquiries we may not be able to get to every message right away. It is important to note that we are not an emergency services line, so if you have an emergency please call 911 or your local authorities right away.
Again, to sign up, submit your number below or text ‘Hello’ to (239) 241-6343. If you have friends in the area, please feel free to share this phone number with them so they can sign up for updates as needed.
11:30 a.m.: Some Brevard hospitals canceling elective surgeries this week
Steward Health Care’s Space Coast division said it is canceling all elective surgeries scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday because of the approaching Hurricane Milton.
The move parallels decisions by Health First and Parrish Healthcare to cancel elective surgeries because of the storm, with Health First’s cancellations starting at 3 p.m. Wednesday.
All three Space Coast health care companies also plan to close many medical offices on Wednesday and Thursday.
Health First operates Cape Canaveral Hospital in Cocoa Beach, Holmes Regional Medical Center in Melbourne, Palm Bay Hospital and Viera Hospital.
Parrish operates Parrish Medical Center in Titusville.
Steward’s Space Coast division operates the Melbourne, Rockledge and Sebastian River Medical Centers.
— Dave Berman
10:53 a.m.: Port Canaveral operating under limited operations
Port Canaveral has been placed on “Condition Yankee” by the U.S. Coast Guard, as Hurricane Milton approaches.
The port said that means sustained tropical-storm-force winds are predicted within 24 hours.
“Port Canaveral is open, and conducting limited port operations, and preparing for the closure of waterside and vessel shoreside port operations,” the port said in a statement.
There was no indication about the time frame for closing of the port, but that could come by Wednesday.
There were no cruise ships in port Tuesday morning, and the three cargo vessels there were scheduled to sail out later Tuesday.
— Dave Berman
10:11 a.m.: Some Brevard County restaurants closing ahead of Milton
Not to worry folks, Waffle House is still open.
But there are a slew of Space Coast restaurants that started closing Tuesday, and will be closed Wednesday and Thursday. Here’s a list that will continue to be updated.
Know of a restaurant that should be added to the list? Email aolesen@floridatoday.com.
9:43 a.m.: Government centers closed this week for Hurricane Milton
All Brevard County government centers will be closed Wednesday and Thursday.
9:20 a.m.: Central Florida airports closing before Hurricane Milton hits
Orlando International Airport will cease commercial flights Wednesday morning, and neighboring Melbourne Orlando International Airport will follow suit at 2 p.m. Wednesday as powerful Hurricane Milton swirls eastward toward Central Florida.
Melbourne airport officials advised travelers to check directly with their airlines for details on their latest flight status. The airport is scheduled to reopen at 9 a.m. Friday.
Orlando International Airport (MCO) will cease commercial passenger operations at 8 a.m. Wednesday. Orlando Executive airport will do likewise the night before, at 10 p.m. Tuesday.
— Rick Neale
9:10 a.m.: Hurricane Milton expected to cause slight storm surge in Brevard
Southwest Florida is expected to get major storm surge, but because of the storm’s westerly approach, forecasters only expect a two- to four-foot surge along the Space Coast.
“Milton’s approach from the west will likely limit any storm surge, but the wind strength and direction can still cause significant erosion,” Mike McGarry, Brevard’s beach renourishment coordinator said via email Monday. “There is certainly potential for Milton to cause beach erosion.”
If the storm crosses the state to the north of Brevard, the county will see more westerly winds blowing offshore,” McGarry added, so beach erosion will be less severe. “If it crosses directly over us, or to our south side, I expect to see more erosion,” he said.
— Jim Waymer
8:25 a.m.: Brevard is under hurricane warning: What does that mean?
A Hurricane warning means that hurricane conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area, according to the National Hurricane Center.
A warning is typically issued 36 hours before the anticipated first occurrence of tropical-storm-force winds, conditions that make outside preparations difficult or dangerous. Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion.
7:58 a.m.: Publix stores in Brevard closing for Hurricane Milton
All Brevard County Publix locations will be closed Wednesday.
The stores will operate under normal business hours Tuesday and plan to reopen at some point Thursday.
“We are closely monitoring Hurricane Milton. At this time, many stores in the storm’s path have adjusted hours,” according to a statement on the Publix website.
— Amber Olesen
7:22 a.m.: Brevard schools/colleges closing for Hurricane Milton
Brevard Public Schools will operate on an early-release schedule Tuesday.
Schools will be closed Wednesday and Thursday. As of now, the plan is to reopen Friday.
The school board meeting originally scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Tuesday will instead take place at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday.
Florida Tech and Eastern Florida State College are closed the rest of the week.
— Finch Walker
7:00 a.m.: Sandbag distribution continues Tuesday ahead of Hurricane Milton
Sandbag distribution locations will be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday.
Lines may close early to ensure a timely closure. Be prepared to wait as residents reported to be in line for hours yesterday.
Here are the four county locations:
• Chain of Lakes Park, 2300 Truman Scarborough Way, Titusville.
• Mitch Ellington Park, 577 Hall Road, Merritt Island. Enter from West Hall Road.
• Wickham Park, 2500 Parkway Drive, Melbourne. Enter using south access from Parkway Drive.
• Eastern Florida State College-Palm Bay Campus, 250 Community College Parkway SE, Palm Bay.
There is a limit of 10 sandbags per vehicle. Bags are provided.
Sandbags also can be purchased at home improvement stores and filled with dirt from a resident’s own property. It is illegal to fill sandbags with sand from the beach.
6:50 a.m.: Decision on shelters in Brevard expected later today
As of Tuesday morning, there are no shelters open in Brevard County.
Officials with Brevard County Emergency Management said they are working with the National Weather Service in Melbourne to monitor the track and impacts of Milton. That will determine if and when shelters do open.
If they do, they will be open to all, including Brevard’s homeless population.
According to the Brevard Homeless Coalition, there has been an 87% increase in unsheltered homeless people in Brevard County since 2022. During the annual point-in-time homeless count on Jan. 25, 779 of the 1,071 homeless people surveyed in Brevard County were without shelter.
“Storms are especially challenging in Brevard due to the lack of existing overnight, low-barrier shelters,” said Amber Carroll, executive director of the Brevard Homeless Coalition. “It often requires the county to open temporary safe shelters and rely on organizations like Matthew’s Hope, which is willing to open its doors to those in need. We also work with partners like Daily Bread, which plays a crucial role in providing food and support before and after the storm.”
— John Torres
Spitzer is a Trending Reporter. She can be reached at MSpitzer@Floridatoday.com.
John Gallas, Kim Luciani and Cheryl McCloud contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Live Hurricane Milton updates: Brevard in powerful storm’s Florida path
