OT: Helene was a bitch, here comes Milton the Son of a Bitch

[RS_Express]

This thing has just exploded into a Cat 5 with 180 mph winds.  Headed right for the Florida Gulf Coast.  It's supposed to "weaken" into a Cat 3 by landfall.  Worst case scenario is Tampa Bay finally takes the direct hit it's dodged so many times.

[purplefaithful]

Y'all stay safe down there!!!

[MaroonBells]

Unfortunately, the northern edge of the Yucatan Peninsula may get hit with Milton at full cat 5. Some of those communities may be wiped off the map. Talk about Paradise Lost.

[hogjowlsjohnny]

Get the hell out of there and stay safe.

[StickierBuns]

Tampa is going to get it good.....that city has avoided a hit for a long time. Just some gusts and some rain down by me in southern Palm Beach County. This is going to be a bad one for the western upper part of the state.

[purplefaithful]

Man,

Supposed to double in size by Wed evening and back to a Cat 5. I read where TB hasn't been hit directly by a major storm since 1921. 

Ive vacationed a bunch in TB/SP, Fort Myers, Sanibel. Iit literally turns into little MN down there in snow bird and baseball training camp season. 

Prayers from MN for our FL bros/sisters!!

[Waterboy]

Man,

Supposed to double in size by Wed evening and back to a Cat 5. I read where TB hasn't been hit directly by a major storm since 1921. 

Ive vacationed a bunch in TB/SP, Fort Myers, Sanibel. Iit literally turns into little MN down there in snow bird and baseball training camp season. 

Prayers from MN for our FL bros/sisters!!

This is far from a science right now.  I've heard it should be a Cat 3 by landfall in FL but that isn't the bad part.  It's the potential 20 foot surge.  There's no good outcome most likely, but a direct hit on Tampa may be the worst.

[RS_Express]

Good (?) news: Milton track seems to have shifted slightly south, which might save Clearwater and Tampa from the worst. Bad news is Bradenton/Sarasota may be kissing their asses goodbye.

And my old home of Jacksonville might get it from 2 directions without even a direct hit: rainfall flowing down the St. John's river running into a backside storm surge coming up the river mouth like plugging a bathtub. Glug glug glug. IIRC both Irma and Maria in the last decade got Jax like that. Which would be a helluva joke on the thousands of people who have evacuated to Jax from the Gulf.