Hurricane Milton – Update #7 – 10/8/24

University of Florida officials are actively monitoring Hurricane Milton, which is expected to begin affecting the west coast of Florida by Wednesday night. While the storm’s exact path remains unclear, here is what we know today:

All of Alachua County, which includes the UF Gainesville campus, is currently under a Tropical Storm Warning as of the 11 a.m., advisory of the National Weather Service in Jacksonville. A Tropical Storm Warning means tropical storm-force winds are expected somewhere within in this area within the next 36 hours.

Hurricane Milton is expected to affect the Gainesville area with winds ranging between 58 and 73 mph, equivalent to a tropical storm. Additionally, forecasters expect 3 to 6 inches of rain, which is the potential for localized flooding rain. As a result, a Flood Watch is in effect for all of Alachua County through Thursday.

Tropical storm-force winds are expected to begin in North Central Florida early Wednesday evening.

Hurricane Milton’s structure weakened slightly to winds of 150 mph, equivalent to a strong Category 4 hurricane. Forecasters said the changes will continue, which should weaken Milton into a powerful Category 3 hurricane by the time it makes landfall along the west coast of Florida.

Also, the changes in the storm’s structure are expected to expand the storm’s wind field, “roughly doubling in size” hurricane and tropical-storm-force winds by the time it makes landfall, extending well outside the forecast cone.

UF announced on Monday that it will close its offices and cancel classes, including online classes, beginning at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 9 and continuing through Thursday, Oct. 10. The university expects to communicate on Thursday regarding operational plans for Friday; however, the university currently expects to resume normal operations on Friday morning.

UF/IFAS and other UF personnel outside of Alachua County should adhere to their county government closures and consult their supervisors. Other UF units throughout the state will have similar closings in keeping with their county government guidelines.

UF Health hospitals and clinical practices are continuing normal operations in Alachua County. However, the operating hours of units throughout the state will vary. For up-to-date information about UF Health closures, visit UFHealth.org.

Any additional scheduling changes will be announced through official UF channels such as the UF home page and the UF Alert Emergency Notification System.

For additional information, please visit the National Hurricane Center.

Additional information:
Commonly asked questions regarding Hurricane Milton
Here’s how to prepare for hurricane season
Pre-storm preparation for students in UF housing
UF/IFAS Disaster Preparation & Recovery

This update was posted on Oct. 8 at 1 p.m.