Tampa Bay sits within the cone of uncertainty.
As residents throughout Tampa Bay and Florida’s west coast begin preparing and evacuating for Hurricane Milton, the Bucs have made changes to how they’ll approach preparations for their game against the New Orleans Saints.
The Bucs announced Monday they will depart Tampa on Tuesday morning ahead of Milton’s arrival and will relocate operations to the New Orleans area for the remainder of the week leading up to Sunday’s game at the Saints.
Much of Florida is still cleaning up and removing debris from homes and roadways from Hurricane Helene’s impact just over a week ago. Several residents in Pinellas and Manatee counties have yet to return to their homes due to the damage incurred due to rising waters from Helene.
Inland in Tampa, homeowners along the Hillsborough River and near major intlets also had rising waters flood their homes as well — many of them still trying to get debris from their homes hauled away.
Hurricane Milton has rapidly intensified into a Category 4 hurricane with 155mph winds and expected to reach Category 5 status late Monday. It was originally not forecasted to reach Category 2 status until Monday evening. The storm is forecasted to weaken as it nears the coast, with landfall expected Wednesday evening having the current center of the track just south of Tampa Bay — putting Tampa within the cone of uncertainty.
For up to the minute evacuation orders and storm guidance, please visit your local county’s emergency operations center’s website.
For more information on Hurricane Milton and its track, visit the National Hurricane Center.