Hurricane Milton Live Updates: Evacuations Begin In Florida

Florida is bracing for what could be a catastrophic hit from Hurricane Milton, with millions already under evacuation orders and a state of emergency in 51 of the state's 67 counties.

The storm could bring up to 12 feet of storm surge to Tampa Bay, including the cities of Tampa and St. Petersburg.

"If they have called for your evacuation order, I beg you, I implore you, to evacuate," state Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie said. "Drowning deaths due to storm surge are 100% preventable if you leave."

Hurricane Helene struck the area less than two weeks ago, bringing destruction and loss of life.

(​MORE: Hurricane Tracker Maps | Latest Forecast)

Here's what's happening now:

(12:04 p.m. ET) Hurricane Milton Reaches Category 5 Status

Hurricane Milton intensified into a Category 5 hurricane late Monday morning. The storm is packing maximum sustained winds of 160 mph with gusts reaching higher speeds, according to the NWS National Hurricane Center in Miami.

(11:54 a.m. ET) ‘Everybody Needs To Go’

Emergency management officials aren’t mincing words.

“Basically, everybody needs to go. Nobody needs to try and stay here, nobody needs to try and ride this out,” Jeremi Roberts, a spokesperson for Florida Regional Incident Management Team 3 told us in a phone interview.

Roberts is stationed in Bradenton Beach, Florida, where nearly every building in town sustained at least some damage and 60% were heavily damaged or destroyed by Helene.

“There's a lot of structures that are already compromised that are not even safe, or questionably safe, to be in right now (even) without a storm,” he said.

The town is on Anna Maria Island on the south side of Tampa Bay in Manatee County. The entire island, as well as some other parts of the county, are under a mandatory evacuation order.

(MORE: Tampa Bay Braces For Hurricane Milton)

(11:43 a.m. ET) Tolls Suspended In West And Central Florida, Alligator Alley

Gov. DeSantis suspended all tolls in west and central Florida as well as Alligator Alley, starting 10:30 Monday in an effort to speed evacuation traffic. The tolls will remain suspended until it is deemed safe for evacuees to return home.

(11:34 a.m. ET) State Is Looking For more Shelters

Guthrie says the state is identifying vacant buildings and other property that could be used for shelters if needed. Typically, counties open shelters in public schools and there are concerns some could fill to capacity.

(11:21 a.m. ET) Central And Southeast Florida Announce School Closures

Several public schools in central and southeast Florida have already closed their doors Monday, including in Charlotte, Hillsborough, Pinellas, and Sarasota counties.

An increasing amount plan to close Tuesday and Wednesday, such as Citrus, DeSoto, Hardee, Okeechobee and Polk county schools, with some extending closures into Thursday as well. Closures are listed on the Florida Department of Education website.

So far, Northeast Florida schools have not announced any closures.

Colleges throughout the state have announced closures as well, with Florida SouthWestern State College, St. Petersburg College and State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota, Florida A&M University, Florida State University Ringling Campus and others closing Monday. More plan to close as the week progresses.

(10:40 a.m. ET) Worst Surge Will Be South Of The Storm

From weather.com senior meteorologist Chris Dolce:

The worst-case scenario for Tampa Bay is if Milton makes landfall near or north of the area, especially if that happens closer to high tide which is Thursday morning.

Another factor in play is the size of the storm. While Milton won’t be as large as Helene, the storm will get bigger before it approaches Florida, so the breadth of the impacts will spread out.

(10:09 a.m. ET) St. Pete-Clearwater Airport Closing

St. Pete-Clearwater Airport announced that the terminal will close after Tuesday’s last flight and remain closed Wednesday and Thursday. The airport is located in a mandatory evacuation zone.

(9:57 a.m. ET) E​vacuations Begin In Florida

Evacuation orders so far include:

-Sarasota County, levels A and B, manufactured communities and mobile and boat homes

-​P​asco County, on the north side of the Tampa Bay area, beginning at 10 a.m. for zones A and B. The order also applies to anyone living in manufactured housing or an RV, as well as those low-lying or flood-prone areas.

-Manatee County, e​vacuations start at noon today on Anna Maria Island, in Manatee County on the south side of Tampa Bay, as well as other areas of the county in zone A and those in mobile homes

-City of Fort Myers Beach

-P​inellas County has issued a voluntary evacuation for anyone in zones A,B and C, ahead of what is expected to become a mandatory order.

(9:32 a.m. ET) Airlines Waiving Change Fees

Major airlines are issuing travel alerts and advisories and waiving change fees for travelers flying to and from some Florida airports this week. Customers should call their airlines or check with their airlines’ website for details on how to rebook.

Airports under alert or advisory with several airlines include:

-Fort Myers Southwest Florida International Airport

-Key West International Airport

-Miami International Airport

-Orlando International Airport

-Sarasota Bradenton International Airport

-Tampa International Airport

(​9:25 a.m. ET) Milton's Now A Category 4 Storm

H​urricane Milton is currently packing sustained winds estimated at 150 mph, according to data from the most recent hurricane hunter flight into the storm.

"Its winds increased from 65 mph at 10 a.m. CDT on Sunday to 150 mph at 8:05 a.m. CDT Monday," weather.com senior meteorologist Chris Dolce said. "That's more than double the criteria for rapid intensification."

(9:06 a.m. ET) Mass Evacuations Possible

Executive Director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management Kevin Guthrie said on Sunday, “We are preparing … for the largest evacuation that we have seen, most likely since 2017, Hurricane Irma.”

The state is staging emergency fuel and charging stations along evacuation routes to ease transit. About 7 million Florida residents were urged to evacuate ahead of Irma in 2017, leading to major traffic jams along freeways and long waits at gas stations.