TAMPA, Fla. — Hurricane Milton is again a Category 5 storm as it barrels toward the Florida coastline, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said Tuesday afternoon.
Milton had previously weakened to a Category 4 storm, but its wind speeds have increased once again past the Category 5 threshold. The storm, located about 480 miles (775 kilometers) from Tampa as of about 5 p.m. EDT, has sustained wind speeds of 165 mph (270 kph), the hurricane center said.
The hurricane center also extended a storm surge and hurricane warnings on Florida and Georgia’s east coasts.
As the storm approached on Tuesday, Disney World decided to close its parks on Wednesday afternoon. They’ll also likely remain closed on Thursday.
Universial is also closing at 2 p.m. Wednesday and will remain closed on Thursday.
The storm also forced area sports teams, the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning to leave the region for the rest of the week. The Buccaneers are heading to New Orleans, where they play the Saints on Sunday. The Lightning are going to Raleigh to continue preparing for the season opener against the Carolina Hurricanes Friday.
Throughout Tuesday, Florida officials told residents that the time to evacuate “is now.”
Hurricane Milton is expected to make landfall on Wednesday afternoon.
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