Day: October 8, 2024

Communities far from the west coast of Florida are expecting to see gusty winds and heavy rainfall, starting Wednesday and lasting through Thursday. More than 11 million residents in the Sunshine State are under tropical weather alerts. A Hurricane Warning issued for cities such as Daytona Beach, Orlando, Lakeland and Tampa along the Interstate 4 corridor. Orlando is expected to see sustained tropical storm force winds after the hurricane makes landfall along the Gulf Coast.

A southern restaurant chain with more than 1,900 locations across 25 states is known for its inexpensive breakfast offerings, but its operations during extreme weather have earned it a reputation as a sanctuary during tumultuous times.

Millions in Florida are bracing for a potentially catastrophic punch from major Hurricane Milton, which threatens a historically deep and dangerous storm surge to a large swath of Florida’s west coast along with wind gusts well over 100 mph when the storm strikes Wednesday night or Thursday morning.

A NOAA spokesperson told FOX Weather it is planning to re-position the two WP-3D Orions and one Gulfstream IV-SP aircraft from their home base in Lakeland, Florida, which have been used to investigate the storm. Lakeland is located in Polk County, Florida and is in the direct path of the hurricane.

Downtown St. Petersburg-area residents learned of a new hazard from Hurricane Milton hours before the storm's landfall: construction cranes that could fail under 100-mph winds.