Florida roads gridlocked as Tampa residents flee ahead of Hurricane Milton (original) (raw)

Florida roads gridlocked out of Tampa and Lakeland amid 'horrific' Hurricane Milton forecast

Heavy traffic was seen in Florida as residents of coastal cities evacuate inland ahead of Hurricane Milton, predicted to be the worst storm to hit the area in 100 years

Florida residents are under evacuation orders before the storm of a century

The roads out of Tampa and Lakeland, Florida, are currently seeing heavy traffic and gridlock along the highways as residents flee following an evacuation order set by the state.

Photos show bumper-to-bumper traffic on roads leading out of the two cities predicted to be hit hard by the storm. While some of the traffic has calmed down, alerts still show backed-up zones through Polk County and Sumter County, among others. Residents are advised to continuously check traffic reports before leaving their homes.

The National Weather Service in Tampa Bay warned the 3.3 million residents to evacuate, be patient with traffic, leave early, and ensure they reached a safe house by Tuesday night.

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A mass exodus from the Tampa Bay area is occurring today, driven by mandatory evacuations (

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Nearly six million people are affected by the evacuation order.

The last time the eye of a major storm like Hurricane Milton struck Tampa Bay, in 1921, the city was a sleepy backwater of a few hundred thousand people. A century later, it’s among the fastest-growing metropolises in the United States, with more than 3 million people, and highly vulnerable to flooding due to climate change.

As Milton barrels toward the Gulf Coast of Florida, the NWS says it "will be the worst storm to impact the Tampa area in over 100 years." State officials have urged residents to 'complete all prep before tomorrow night' and stock up on water.

The terrifying hurricane comes fewer than two weeks after Hurricane Helene caused massive flooding in the state and killed more than 200 people across six states. Milton had maximum sustained winds of 150 mph (240 kph) over the southern Gulf of Mexico, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said.

Over 60 counties are under an emergency warning (

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The storm could make landfall Wednesday in the Tampa Bay area and remain a hurricane as it moves across central Florida toward the Atlantic Ocean.

Fifty-one of Florida's 67 counties are under a state of emergency: Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Brevard, Broward, Charlotte, Citrus, Clay, Collier, Columbia, DeSoto, Dixie, Duval, Flagler, Gilchrist, Glades, Hamilton, Hardee, Hendry, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Indian River, Lafayette, Lake, Lee, Levy, Madison, Manatee, Marion, Martin, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Nassau, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Johns, St. Lucie Sumter, Suwanee, Taylor, Union, and Volusia counties.