Hurricane Milton’s landfall ‘dangerous and destructive’, warns Met Office

Hurricane Milton volition beryllium “dangerous and destructive” arsenic it makes landfall warned the Met Office, arsenic thousands of UK holidaymakers had flights to Florida cancelled.

Milton is expected to marque landfall connected the westbound seashore of Florida precocious connected Wednesday night, amid warnings that a life-threatening tempest surge could origin “extreme flooding”.

A fig of airports successful Florida are closing to commercialized operations, including Orlando International, Melbourne Orlando International and Tampa International.

The Met Office said the hurricane could bring uncertainty to UK upwind adjacent week if its remnants extremity up successful the Atlantic, but added Milton was “highly improbable to scope the UK”.

We could get a tempest surge of up to 15ft which would origin utmost flooding on the coastal strip

Julian Hemming

The upwind work said Milton was expected to beryllium a “dangerous and destructive hurricane arsenic it makes landfall”, with sustained winds of astir 130mph on the seashore and a important tempest surge.

Milton is expected to weaken to a tropical tempest erstwhile implicit the unfastened waters of the Atlantic and modulation into an extratropical tempest aft it passes to the southbound of Bermuda.

Beyond this, Milton’s remnant is apt to “either beryllium absorbed into a frontal portion oregon dissipate successful situ successful the subtropical Atlantic”, the Met Office said.

Met Office tropical prediction idiosyncratic Julian Hemming said Milton’s “extremely beardown winds” could origin “severe structural damage”.

He added: “But besides the happening we’re truly acrophobic astir is the tempest surge.

“And astir the hurricane, and peculiarly to the southbound of the oculus of the hurricane, we could get a tempest surge of up to 15ft, which would origin utmost flooding on the coastal strip.”

Mr Hemming said determination could perchance beryllium 300 to 400 millimetres of rainfall implicit the adjacent 2 days implicit cardinal parts of Florida.

Tour relation Virgin Atlantic Holidays has cancelled holidays booked to the Gulf Coast areas of Tampa, Clearwater and St. Petersburg for departures up until and including October 18, and for Orlando departures up until and including October 10.

On Wednesday, British Airways cancelled six flights connecting Gatwick with Orlando and Tampa.

Tui has besides said its flying programme volition beryllium “extremely disrupted” owed to the hurricane.

British nationals successful Florida person expressed their “anxiety” up of Milton making landfall.

Kate Collins, 52, told the PA quality bureau she is not surviving successful a mandatory evacuation portion but has gathered supplies for the hurricane.

Ms Collins, who was raised successful Plymouth and moved to Florida 30 years ago, said she is sheltering with 5 radical and 5 dogs successful her location successful Volusia County, which is nether mandatory curfew from 8pm section clip connected Wednesday.

“The temper successful the location is definite anxiety. Preparing for the worst and hoping for the best,” Ms Collins said.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said travellers should show approaching storms connected the US National Hurricane Centre website and travel instructions from section authorities, including evacuation orders.

A UK Government spokesperson said: “We are intimately monitoring the improvement of Hurricane Milton towards the United States.

“We impulse each British nationals successful Florida, oregon travelling to the region, to travel the FCDO question advice, arsenic good arsenic guidance from section authorities.”