Charlotte County Hurricane Milton Updates October 9 2024 AM
Oct. 9 Morning Update | Milton is currently a strong Category 4 storm with winds of 155 mph. Catastrophic storm surge is expected at the point of landfall and locations south to include Charlotte County. Damaging hurricane force winds are expected for our area. Flooding rainfall for our already saturated area is expected. Charlotte County has ordered evacuations for Red (A), Orange (B), Yellow (C) and all mobile and manufactured homes. All individuals in evacuated areas should leave NOW. Do not wait for conditions to deteriorate. Shelters are available at Harold Avenue Regional Park Recreation Center, Kingsway Elementary School, and the Babcock Neighborhood School for those evacuating and in need of refuge. Remember landfall can occur at any location within the cone.
Key Points:
The extreme impacts from Milton are expected to begin impacting our area this afternoon.
Life-threatening storm surge of 8’ to 12’ within Charlotte Harbor and 10’ to 15’ at our beaches is expected.
Flooding Rainfall is expected with 6” to 12” forecast area wide and localized totals of 18” possible.
Conditions will deteriorate throughout the day today with tropical force winds beginning as early as 1 p.m. All preparedness activities and evacuations need to take place prior to the onset of tropical storm force winds.
Water levels are expected to rise throughout the day as storm surge pushes into our area. Peak storm surge is currently expected overnight and into the morning Thursday, slowly receding throughout the day Thursday.Communications disruptions are likely to occur as a result of Milton impacts. Battery or crank powered radios should be utilized post storm, as radio infrastructure has proven to be less susceptible to wind and water events that power internet and cell phones. Info hubs are planned to be placed at accessible county libraries and recreation centers post landfall, providing printed resources available within the community.