Lake O area hit by tornadoes in outer bands of Hurricane Milton

Tornadoes in the outer bands of Hurricane Milton flipped vehicles, downed trees and damaged a road on Oct. 9.

The National Weather Service reported more than 100 hurricane warnings Wednesday afternoon, including tornadoes in Buckhead Ridge, Moore Haven, Clewiston, Belle Glade, Port Mayaca and multiple locations in Okeechobee County.

In Okeechobee County, cars were overturned and30 homes and buildings were damaged. Two people were hospitalized with injuries.

In Glades County, 29 homes at Twin Palms  in Lakeport were impacted or destroyed, according to the Glades County Sheriff's Office. One person was injured.

Glades County officials also reported a section of State Road 78 E was closed at Reservation Road (CR 721) to the Kissimmee Bridge in Buckhead Ridge due to tornado damage. The Glades County Sheriff's Office  is assessing damage due. "Please find an alternate route.," GCSO advised.

Around Lake Okeechobee, hundreds of residents sought refuge in hurricane Red Cross shelters set up in public schools. Those who live in low-lying areas and mobile homes were advised to voluntarily evacuate. Some residents who live alone went to the shelters to have company as the massive storm swept over the state.

AccuWeather report

 AccuWeather expert meteorologists say there is an increasing risk of flash flooding across the central and northern peninsula of Florida as Hurricane Milton approaches the gulf coast with potentially catastrophic storm surge and destructive winds. 

“Hurricane Milton continues to move rapidly toward the west coast of Florida at 17 mph. Over the last several hours, the storm has been moving more to the north than it has to the east, which is enabling the storm to gain latitude and draw closer to Tampa Bay. Over the coming hours, the storm can take a turn more toward the east, as the storm approaches the coast. The location at which the storm moves to the east is extremely critical in terms of defining where the worst of the devastating storm surge occurs,” said AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jon Porter. “AccuWeather experts been forecasting a landfall point near Anna Maria Island on the far southern part of Tampa Bay at 9 p.m. EDT Wednesday. The AccuWeather landfall location is some 25 miles north of the National Hurricane Center and other known sources. AccuWeather hurricane experts are concerned that should the storm continue moving with a significant northerly component for an extended period, the landfall point could even be farther north than the current AccuWeather forecast, closer to St. Petersburg, which would alarmingly result in maximum damage in parts of Tampa Bay. Conversely, should an eastward motion occur sooner, the storm surge could be greatly reduced in Tampa Bay, with increased storm surge impacts farther south along the coast from Bradenton and Sarasota toward Venice.” 

AccuWeather expert meteorologists say 15-20 feet of destructive storm surge may occur near and south of where Milton makes landfall, likely for Sarasota and Venice, with an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 23 feet. A deadly surge is still expected in the Tampa area ahead of the storm, but should the track remain just south of the bay, the area would miss the worst-case scenario.   

“The heaviest rainfall is expected to be on the east, north and northwest sides of this hurricane because Milton will be interacting with a dip in the jet stream. When that happens, we typically see a lot of moisture on that side of the storm,” said DaSilva. “AccuWeather is forecasting a zone of 12 to 18 inches of rain along the populous Interstate 4 corridor. This area will be the bull’s-eye for flooding rainfall, just to the north of Tampa to Orlando and Daytona Beach. We could see widespread inland flooding with impacts that could last for days.” 
 
Porter says river flooding is also a major concern in parts of central and northern Florida.  

“Jacksonville could see several feet of storm surge as Milton moves across the state and offshore into the Atlantic. All of that rain and storm surge could create serious river flooding issues, especially along the St. Johns River, which flows north and empties into the Atlantic near Jacksonville,” Porter explained. “We could be dealing with river flooding problems for days or even weeks.” 

Stronger winds are expected as the storm makes landfall in the Florida Peninsula on Wednesday night. Wind gusts of 60-80 mph can occur across much of the central and southern Florida Peninsula. Near where the center of circulation makes landfall, wind gusts can reach 140-160 mph with an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 165 mph. AccuWeather expert meteorologists are also warning people to be prepared for overnight tornado warnings as Milton approaches the coastline and moves across the state.