Milton’s landfall is now expected to align with rising tide levels in the Tampa area, heightening the risk of storm surge flooding.
The latest update from the National Hurricane Center shows that the storm’s landfall has been delayed slightly, now predicted for late Wednesday night into early Thursday morning.
Low tide will occur in the Tampa Bay area in the afternoon, and water levels will naturally increase with the tide cycle from Wednesday evening through the night. In St. Petersburg, water levels are expected to rise by nearly 3 feet between the low tide at 2:04 p.m. on Wednesday and the high tide at 5:59 a.m. on Thursday.
On the Gulf of Mexico, just outside Tampa Bay, Clearwater Beach is forecasted to see a rise of 2.33 feet between low tide and high tide, with the latter occurring at 3:37 a.m. on Thursday.
In addition to these tidal changes, water levels will increase further as Milton’s winds push water from the Gulf of Mexico onto the shore. The storm surge forecast for Tampa Bay predicts a rise of 10 to 15 feet.
