Mon Oct 07 14:02:03 UTC 2024: ## Tropical Storm Milton Threatens Florida’s West Coast
**TAMPA, FLORIDA -** A tropical storm brewing in the Gulf of Mexico has intensified into Tropical Storm Milton, prompting a state of emergency declaration for 35 Florida counties. Forecasters warn that the storm could strengthen into a hurricane and make landfall on the state’s west coast later this week.
As of early Sunday, Tropical Storm Milton was located about 365 miles west-northwest of Progreso, Mexico, and moving slowly north-northeast at 4 mph. While currently possessing maximum sustained winds of 45 mph, forecasters anticipate a rapid intensification, increasing the risk of life-threatening impacts along Florida’s west coast.
Governor Ron DeSantis has declared a state of emergency in 35 counties, many of which are still recovering from Hurricane Helene that struck last week. The Governor has mobilized the Florida Division of Emergency Management and the Department of Transportation to coordinate resources and personnel to assist local communities in expediting debris removal and preparing for the potential storm.
The National Hurricane Center has advised the Florida Peninsula, the Florida Keys, Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, and the northwestern Bahamas to monitor the storm’s progress. Though no coastal watches or warnings are currently in effect, the center expects hurricane and storm-surge watches to be issued from Sunday.
Heavy rainfall is expected to begin across parts of Florida on Sunday, potentially leading to flash, urban, and areal flooding, as well as river flooding. By late Tuesday or Wednesday, an increasing risk of life-threatening storm surge and wind impacts is anticipated for portions of the Florida Peninsula’s west coast. Residents in these areas are urged to prepare their hurricane plans, heed the advice of local officials, and stay updated on the latest forecasts.
Meanwhile, Hurricane Kirk, a Category 4 major hurricane, remains about 1,345 miles west-southwest of the Azores. Although posing no immediate threat to land, the storm’s large swells are creating life-threatening surf and rip current conditions affecting the Leeward Islands, Bermuda, the Greater Antilles, the Bahamas, and the US East Coast. These swells are expected to move north along the US East Coast and Canada’s Atlantic Coast on Sunday and to the Azores on Monday.
Hurricane Leslie is moving northwest over the open Atlantic without posing a threat to land. The storm is located about 855 miles west of the southernmost Cabo Verde Islands with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph.
As these storms churn, rescue efforts are ongoing in the US Southeast to locate people unaccounted for after Hurricane Helene’s devastating passage last week.
First Piper 