At 700 PM CDT (0000 UTC), the center of Hurricane Milton was located near latitude 23.0 North, longitude 86.9 West. Milton is moving toward the east-northeast near 10 mph (17 km/h).
A northeastward motion with some increase in forward speed is expected tonight through early Thursday. A turn toward the east-northeast and east is expected on Thursday and Friday.
On the forecast track, the center of Milton will move across the eastern Gulf of Mexico tonight and Wednesday, make landfall along the west-central coast of Florida Wednesday night, and move off the east coast of Florida over the Atlantic Ocean on Thursday.
Reports from Air Force and NOAA Hurricane hunter aircraft indicate that the maximum sustained winds are near 165 mph (270 km/h) with higher gusts. Milton is a category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.
Fluctuations in intensity are likely while Milton moves across the eastern Gulf of Mexico, but Milton is expected to be a dangerous major hurricane when it reaches the west-central coast of Florida Wednesday night.
Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 30 miles (45 km) from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 140 miles (220 km).
The minimum central pressure estimated from Hurricane Hunter aircraft observations is 902 mb (26.64 inches).
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