As Hurricane Milton barrels towards the US mainland, forecasters have pinned down the precise times it is expected to hit each major city.
The tropical storm is volatile – having rattled through each category of hurricane in less than 24 hours – so meteorologists are constantly tweaking their projections.
But the latest official model from the National Weather Service shows Hurricane Milton making landfall in Tampa on Florida’s Gulf Coast around 1am Thursday.
The storm is set to barrel north-east over central areas covering Lakeland and Orlando around 7am, before reaching west coast cities like St Augustine by 1pm.
The National Weather Service has also released a map showing the predicted storm surges for Florida’s coastal areas.
The mid-section of the Gulf Coast, including Tampa Bay, is expected to be hardest-hit with surges of up to a whopping 15 feet.
Meanwhile, areas around Yankeetown, Anclote River, and Bonita Beach will see surges of up to 10 feet, according to the projection.
Surges diminish for areas further from the main danger zone – but the entire Gulf Coast and a large swathe of the east coast will experience a surge of some form.
It comes as experts warn Hurricane Milton is expected to return to Category 5 status on Tuesday as it hurtles through the Gulf of Mexico towards Florida’s west coast.
Milton’s outer rings have already wreaked havoc in Mexico, and they’re set to bring waterspouts and tornadoes to Florida as early as Tuesday evening.
Meteorologists have warned residents to brace for winds of up to 175mph and maximum storm surges of 15 feet – as Milton is expected to be even more destructive than Hurricane Helene.
Helene struck some of the same areas last month and killed 230 people.
Millions of Floridians who were placed under mandatory evacuation orders are currently attempting to flee, causing travel mayhem and gridlock on the roads.
It is now too dangerous to fly from Tampa International Airport, which closed indefinitely at 9am on Tuesday.