The National Hurricane Center upgraded Milton to a Category 4 hurricane early Monday morning.
This means Milton is expected to bring ‘catastrophic damage’, with winds of up to 156mph and storm surges of up to nine feet.
‘Most trees will be snapped or uprooted and power poles downed,’ the National Hurricane Center said.
‘Fallen trees and power poles will isolate residential areas. Power outages will last weeks to possibly months. Most of the area will be uninhabitable for weeks or months.’
The center issued a hurricane watch for Florida’s Gulf coast from Chokoloskee to the mouth of the Suwanee River, including Tampa Bay, as well as for the Dry Tortugas.
Meanwhile, a storm surge watch covers the Gulf coast from Flamingo northward to the Suwannee River, including Charlotte Harbor and Tampa Bay.