Wrap and peel weather came with bright skies and a bit of a smoky haze as wildfire smoke began to swirl back into the region. Temperatures were in the upper 30s and 40s in our area this morning, warming into the mid to upper 70s this afternoon. Temperatures will continue to climb throughout the rest of the week ending with record highs Saturday.
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Meanwhile, in the Gulf, Milton continues to march toward Florida. After some weakening last night as the storm underwent an eyewall replacement cycle, the storm has roared back to category 5 status. Pressures once again dropped significantly, dropping to 902 mb, lower than Katrina’s at that storm’s strongest. Winds in Milton are back up to 165 mph and could go a little higher tonight. The storm will likely deal a devastating blow to Florida despite some more weakening before landfall late Wednesday night.
A potentially historic storm surge is possible for areas near Tampa as the storm roars ashore as a major hurricane, likely the strongest in over 100 years for that area. Areas further south through Ft. Myers will also have to contend with all of the dangers of this major hurricane, including a very destructive storm surge. The storm will track up I-4, hitting areas like Orlando and Daytona. This may very well be the most costly hurricane to ever hit the state of Florida.