(Tampa, FL) -- The eyewall of Hurricane Milton is beginning to move onshore on Florida's central west coast. The National Weather Service says it's happening near Tampa and St. Petersburg, warning of an "extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation." Cities in the path of Hurricane Milton are temporarily suspending emergency services because of dangerous weather conditions.
Milton is currently a Category 3 storm, with winds around 120-miles-per-hour.
Milton is moving toward the east-northeast near 15 mph (24 km/h), and this general
motion is expected to continue through Thursday, followed by a turn toward the east on Friday. On the forecast track, the center of Milton will make landfall just south of the Tampa Bay region within the next hour or two, and then move across the central part
of the Florida peninsula overnight, and emerge off the east coast of Florida on Thursday.
SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT:
A Storm Surge Warning is in effect for...
* Florida west coast from Flamingo northward to Yankeetown, including Charlotte Harbor and Tampa Bay
* Sebastian Inlet Florida to Altamaha Sound Georgia, including the St. Johns River
A Hurricane Warning is in effect for...
* Florida west coast from Bonita Beach northward to Suwannee River, including Tampa Bay
* Florida east coast from the St. Lucie/Martin County Line northward to Ponte Vedra Beach
A Hurricane Watch is in effect for...
* Lake Okeechobee
* Florida east coast from the St. Lucie/Martin County Line to the Palm Beach/Martin County Line
A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for...
* Florida Keys, including Dry Tortugas and Florida Bay
* Lake Okeechobee
* Florida west coast from Flamingo to south of Bonita Beach
* Florida west coast from north of Suwanee River to Indian Pass
* Florida east coast south of the St. Lucie/Martin County Line to Flamingo
* North of Ponte Vedra Beach Florida to Edisto Beach South Carolina
* Extreme northwestern Bahamas, including Grand Bahama Island, the Abacos, and Bimini