Milton Expected to Make Landfall as a Major Hurricane

October 8, 2024

Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center (NHC) (Opens in new window) are indicating that Hurricane Milton will hit the Florida west coast in the late night/early morning hours Wednesday into Thursday. As of the 2 p.m. update, the storm has sustained winds of 155 mph and is moving east-northeast at 8 mph.

Weather in Santa Fe College’s service district of Alachua and Bradford counties can expect moderate to strong tropical storm force winds beginning Wednesday evening and continuing through Thursday afternoon. In addition to the winds, heavy rains are expected with 4-8 inches in most areas with the potential for localized flooding.

Forecasters at the NHC are advising Floridians to not focus solely on the track as the storm’s wind field will greatly expand as the storm moves across the peninsula.

Santa Fe College is closed both Wednesday and Thursday, and students and employees should shelter in a stable location and ensure they have a supply of non-perishable food and water as the storm passes.

The college will continue to provide updates on the SF Alerts webpage (Opens in new window). Announcements on reopening will be sent to the contact information provided by students and employees and will also be published on the Alerts page. Official information about Hurricane Milton is available on the National Hurricane Center’s webpage (Opens in new window).

The next update will be posted by 3 p.m. Wednesday, October 9.