--- description: "If you're under evacuation orders, you should evacuate now... It's a matter of life and death," Biden said. title: Hurricane Milton: Where It's Heading and What to Know image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0ea5153e49ce6c3f/698a6b88d075338141e72f27/AP24279767336531.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [U.S.](/section/us/) ## U.S. Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [weather](/tag/weather/) ## weather Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Here's What You Need to Know About Hurricane Milton's Expected Path by [TIME Staff](/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Updated: Jan 19, 2026 1:39 PM CUTPublished: Oct 6, 2024 3:26 PM CUT  This GeoColor satellite image taken provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows Tropical Storm Milton, center, off the coast of Mexico in the Gulf of Mexico on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. This GeoColor satellite image taken provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows Tropical Storm Milton, center, off the coast of Mexico in the Gulf of Mexico on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024.NOAA—AP by [TIME Staff](/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Updated: Jan 19, 2026 1:39 PM CUTPublished: Oct 6, 2024 3:26 PM CUT Per an advisory issued by the [National Hurricane Center](https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/text/refresh/MIATCPAT4+shtml/091147.shtml "undefined") (NHC) on Wednesday morning at 7 a.m. EST: "Milton is expected to remain an extremely dangerous major hurricane when it reaches the west-central coast of Florida \[on Wednesday night\]." This comes after it was announced on Tuesday that President Joe Biden would be postponing his upcoming trip to Germany and Angola so that he can "oversee preparations for and the response to Hurricane Milton." Speaking on Tuesday, [Biden said](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5LMspmj4fA&t=2s "undefined"): "I've urged everyone, everyone currently located in Hurricane Milton's path to listen local officials and follow safety instructions... If you're under evacuation orders, you should evacuate now, now—you should have already evacuated. It's a matter of life and death." Mandatory evacuation orders in Florida are in place for 14 counties [as of Wednesday morning](https://www.floridadisaster.org/evacuation-orders/ "undefined"). At present, Milton is considered to be a Category 4 hurricane, although it was a Category 5 storm for much of its approach. As for Milton's expected path, per the NHC, "the center of Milton will move across the eastern Gulf of Mexico today \[Wednesday\], make landfall along the west-central coast of Florida late tonight or early Thursday morning, and move off the east coast of Florida over the western Atlantic Ocean Thursday afternoon." **_Read More:_** [Why Tampa Is Especially Vulnerable to Hurricane Milton](https://time.com/7065008/hurricane-milton-tampa-vulnerable/ "undefined").  Courtesy of the NWS National Hurricane Center The NHC has issued a warning that the combination of a dangerous storm surge and the tide "will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline." In addition, "several tornadoes are likely today \[Wednesday\] and tonight across parts of central and southern Florida." Milton comes on the heels of an already extremely active hurricane season, especially for Florida. Less than two weeks ago, Florida’s west coast was hit hard by Hurricane Helene, which made landfall in the state as a Category 4 storm. The [devastation and damage](https://time.com/7025932/hurricane-helene-damage-photos/ "undefined") from Helene spread from Florida, with its death toll climbing to [at least 230 people](https://apnews.com/article/hurricane-helene-fema-826effecab238ff0acf0556ad64b0df2 "undefined"). The NHC has also been tracking [Hurricane Kirk](https://time.com/7029711/hurricane-kirk-path-east-coast-us-what-to-know/ "undefined") and [Hurricane Leslie](https://time.com/7049559/hurricane-leslie-path-where-its-heading/?utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fsource=sfmc&utm%5Fcampaign=newsletter+brief+default+ac&utm%5Fcontent=+++20241005+++body&et%5Frid=255074010&lctg=255074010 "undefined"). _With reporting by Rebecca Schneid, Olivia-Anne Cleary, Solcyre Burga, and Anna Gordon_ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/7050638/tropical-storm-hurricane-milton-path-florida-what-to-know/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/7050638/tropical-storm-hurricane-milton-path-florida-what-to-know/"},"headline":"Here's What You Need to Know About Hurricane Milton's Expected Path","datePublished":"2024-10-06T15:26:53.000Z","dateModified":"2026-01-19T13:39:42.000Z","description":"\"If you're under evacuation orders, you should evacuate now... 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