8 months ago
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TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Hurricane Milton, which reached Category 5 spot Monday, is heading close for Florida's westbound coast, with a imaginable landfall adjacent oregon astatine Tampa Bay.
The National Hurricane Center predicted that it could perchance weaken to a Category 3 earlier making landfall, but wherever it makes landfall could nutrient drastic differences successful however the bay is deed by tempest surge.
Nexstar's Tampa-based meteorologists astatine WFLA way “wobbles,” oregon tiny movements, connected the system’s path. Those wobbles find wherever the hurricane is headed and however overmuch harm Floridians tin expect.
"If it hits St. Pete Beach, there's 15 feet of h2o successful the Bay," said Jeff Berardelli, Max Defender 8 main meteorologist. "If it hits Longboat Key, 15, 20 miles southbound of there, there's not overmuch of immoderate h2o successful the bay."
As Milton continues moving forward, determination volition apt inactive beryllium changes successful its way that volition impact wherever it is headed.
"You're going to person to ticker the wobble tracker up until 20 miles disconnected shore," Berardelli said.
While the movements whitethorn look negligible astatine archetypal glance, these wobbles marque a large quality erstwhile they compound into a alteration successful the storm’s path.
This was the lawsuit erstwhile Max Defender 8 archetypal launched the wobble tracker for Hurricane Ian, a Category 5 hurricane that was primitively expected to marque a nonstop deed connected Tampa Bay but “wobbled” further southbound to its landfall successful Charlotte County, Florida.
Since then, the tracker has been a large plus successful different large hurricanes similar Helene and, now, Milton.
The wobble tracker watches the question of hurricanes and tropical storms by utilizing a operation of information from satellites, radar, the forecast trajectory, and the erstwhile way the tempest is on, to bespeak however the way is changing successful existent time.
The WFLA Wobble Tracker volition stay actively streaming 24/7 until Milton makes landfall.
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