Hurricane Milton made landfall near Siesta Key, Florida, as a Category 3 hurricane Wednesday evening, hours after Florida ports along the hurricane’s anticipated path closed.
Despite being downgraded from a Category 5 hurricane, an 8:30 p.m. EDT update issued on Oct. 9 by the National Hurricane Center urged Floridians to be aware of a “life-threatening storm surge, extreme winds, and flash flooding occurring over the Central Florida peninsula.” Indeed, even though the hurricane had not yet officially touched land, the storm spawned numerous tornadoes across the state throughout the day Wednesday, according to multiple news reports.
“The center of Milton will continue to move across the central part of the Florida peninsula overnight, and emerge off the east coast of Florida on Thursday,” the National Hurricane Center said in an update on Oct. 9. After the storm moves into the Atlantic Ocean, Milton is expected to slowly weaken, the National Hurricane Center said.
The earliest that some Florida ports could open would be Friday, Oct. 11. The Jacksonville Port Authority said in an Oct. 9 update that it would be closed on Oct. 10 but it would reopen the main gates on Friday pending the successful completion of facility assessments.
Ports on the western coast of Florida expected to be in the direct path of Hurricane Milton have not provided status updates since Tuesday. Those ports—Port Tampa Bay in Tampa and Port Manatee in Palmetto—last said the U.S. Coast Guard had placed them under Port Condition ZULU, which prompts the closure of the port to incoming and outgoing vessel traffic and means that gale force winds could impact maritime operations within 12 hours.
“We will work with our fuel terminal operators and partners to ensure gas and other fuels move out of our port and to consumers as long as possible. Additionally, port staff will continue to work round-the-clock so we can re-open to full operations as soon as safely possible to support the community and region we serve,” Port Tampa Bay said on Tuesday.
Indeed, most Florida ports closed ahead of Hurricane Milton, although Port Miami and Port Everglades were both open with restrictions as of 11 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, according to the Coast Guard.
While the brunt of Hurricane Milton hit Florida, the impacts of the storm could go beyond the state. The Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) said that while it expects operations to remain open at the Port of Savannah, the Savannah Port Pilots could cease vessel traffic “at some point Thursday due to offshore winds/seas.” Vessels at the dock will still be worked on, noted the port authority. The Port of Brunswick in Georgia is also open with restrictions.
Meanwhile, inland transportation options could also be hampered by Hurricane Milton, according to eastern U.S. Class I railroad CSX, which operates in Florida.
“The storm’s impacts will likely extend across Florida and potentially affect southeastern Georgia and coastal South Carolina, with flash flooding, storm surges, strong winds, tornadoes, and the potential for historic damage. Our top priority is the safety of our employees, customers, and the communities we serve,” CSX said.
“In preparation for these impacts, CSX is implementing comprehensive safety protocols and preparing our network to ensure operational continuity. We have relocated all CSX locomotives and cars from low-lying areas in Tampa and rerouted them from areas expected to be affected. Operations will continue into and out of Waycross from north, east, and west directions. We have staged several trains at Baldwin, Florida, to be ready to run south once service is restored and will continue operating into and out of the intermodal ramps at Jacksonville,” CSX continued.
Joanna Marsh
American Correspondent
