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New Forecast Shows Milton Landfall May Begin Just Two Hours from Now; Now, Milton Lashing Florida With Tornadoes And Heavy Rain; Time To Shelter In Place, Officials Warn Evacuation Window Over; Now: Hurricane Milton Nearing Landfall In Florida. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired October 09, 2024 - 18:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[18:00:00]

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now, breaking news, Hurricane Milton is bearing down on Florida's Gulf Coast, threatening to be the storm of the century when it hits land with deadly force. A new forecast warns landfall may begin only two hours from now.

Conditions in the hurricane strike zone are growing much more dangerous by the minute as Milton unleashes ferocious winds, torrential rains, and a slew of destructive tornadoes.

Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer. You're in The Situation Room.

We're following every angle of the major breaking news in Florida right now, Hurricane Milton taking aim at the Tampa Bay region, and now on a faster track toward a devastating landfall. This monster storm is posing grave and urgent danger. And residents who haven't escaped Milton's path are being warned it's now too late to get out.

CNN teams are fanned out all along Florida's Gulf Coast in areas bracing for the worst of this storm. Our Chief Climate Correspondent Bill Weir is on the scene in St. Petersburg, Florida. Bill, what's the latest from where you are?

BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, we're at the end of the pier here in St. Pete. As you can see, these waves are just starting to breach the seawall. We've been watching them get increasingly violent over the last several hours now. And this is the main event arriving on the west coast of Florida.

Just for perspective, the last time a major storm hit the Tampa-St. Pete area in 1921. Since then, there's an extra 3 million people living here. And thanks to climate change and global warming, the oceans are a foot higher than they were a century ago.

And on top of this storm surge worry that so many people have been talking about leading up to this, these tornadoes that have been kicking up around the state, monster wedge-shaped tornadoes, one in Fort Pierce. And so, sadly, a lot of the folks who evacuated from the coasts are in those inland areas where these tornadoes are going off right now. So, it seems like at the moment, where is the safe place in Florida? This storm is going to stretch across the entire peninsula. It's going to affect lives for months and maybe years to come here.

In addition to the storm surge, you can't even see downtown St. Pete anymore because the bands have come in. But there are four big 30, 40- storey tower construction cranes that we were watching move like windsocks in 45-mile-an-hour gusts. Right now, we're probably hitting gusts around 60 or so. It could get up to obviously over 100 miles an hour. And the city actually put out a warning specific to those towers, if you're downtown, being cognizant of those as well.

But this is just the beginning. We're going to watch this water. We're going to keep an eye on the infrastructure here, Wolf. But this is next level. We've covered a lot of these. The fact that this is coming less than two weeks after Helene, the fact that there are mountains of debris uncollected that are now turning into floating and flying projectiles in this monster Category 3 blender, we're buckling down and really just hoping for the best. Wolf?

BLITZER: All right, just stay safe over there, Bill Weir in St. Petersburg, Florida for us.

I want to go to CNN's Randi Kaye for some more right now. She's in Sarasota, Florida, near the location where Milton is forecast to barrel ashore. Randi, what's happening there as this hurricane is closing in?

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, if this is some of the worst weather we've seen. We were out the door about 12 hours ago to start live shots this morning, and it's been a steady rain for 12 hours here, but this is the heaviest rains that we have seen all day. Also, the wind has certainly picked up. We expect we're going to see the worst of the wind in the next few hours here in Sarasota.

We're in a neighborhood here which is completely evacuated. We are really the only ones here. I could see the street here behind me, I definitely would not say it would be safe to walk on the water is already picking up here and adding up here. In the distance there, I'm not sure if you could see there's building, they're building a structure out there, and those are construction fences that are now whipping around in the wind. Our neighbor's home that I'm looking at is also completely boarded up. So, everybody has evacuated here in this area, Wolf.

[18:05:01]

As you know, there are barrier islands as well. They've closed the bridges to that. And the only hope is that everybody did heed the warnings and evacuate.

Again, this is some of the worst wind that we're seeing and the worst of the storm that we're seeing. But, Wolf, for the last half an hour or so, we've been getting these alerts on our phone saying shelter in place. In other words, it's too late. If you haven't evacuated by now, you better stay put, and that's what we plan to do as well. Wolf?

BLITZER: Give us a sense, Randi, I know you're in Sarasota, how has the situation there where you are in Sarasota changed in the last -- even in the last hour or so?

KAYE: I would say it's gotten a lot worse. The rain at times seems to be letting up. It almost -- you know, we've been checking the radar, as a lot of the locals do of course here and also our meteorologists at CNN. But we've been checking the weather and it looks as though the rain is dissipating a bit. Even though it's been pretty steady for the last hour, it's the wind that has really started to pick up here. I mean, we had just opened a car door and the car door just -- it looks like it's going to break off from the wind. So, it's just difficult getting in and out of the car, in and out of anywhere with this wind. So, they are definitely deteriorating.

I'm looking at the trees. It is some of the worst that we've seen and we know it's going to get much worse from here, Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, just stay safe over there. Randi Kaye in Sarasota for us, I appreciate it very, very much.

I want to go to the National Hurricane Center in Miami right now where we're joined by the deputy director Jamie Rhome. Jamie, thanks so much for joining us.

What are you watching for just ahead as this hurricane Milton begins to make landfall, what, just a couple hours or so from now? What's your worst fear?

JAMIE RHOME, DEPUTY DIRECTOR, NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER: Well, one of the evolving fears that you can start to see it take place is this really heavy band of rain is going to set up -- it looks like it's going to set up over or near the I-4 corridor. That's basically Tampa, Orlando area. And we're going to see intense rainfall rates that, you know, not like a typical thunderstorm. I'm talking about, you know, three, four inches per hour rainfall rates. And when it falls on concrete, you almost get an instantaneous flood.

BLITZER: Parts of Florida, as you well know, are already experiencing this storm surge. Where are you anticipating we will see the largest and most dangerous conditions?

RHOME: It's going to be -- if you look in the radar, you can start to see the southern eye wall start to become apparent. Where this southern eye wall crosses the coastline, which is probably going to be just to the south of the Tampa Bay area is going to experience the worst storm surge.

Now, other areas will still experience significant storm surge. You're getting reports all the way down here into Fort Myers of significant storm surge as I speak, but the worst is probably going to be just to the south of the Tampa Bay area.

BLITZER: As you know, Jamie, Milton's wind field, as it's called, has more than doubled in size since yesterday. Just how large, powerful, and dangerous could this storm still get?

RHOME: Well, it's still growing in size. So, what's happening is it's sort of interacting with a cold front to its north. And as it interacts with that front, it's basically going to, you know, grow and expand, and that's what's going to create this broad swath of heavy rain and wind that's basically, you know, going to cut across the Florida Peninsula.

And, Wolf, here's an interesting thing. It's not going to weaken below hurricane strength as it crosses the Florida Peninsula. So, even once it emerges out on the Western Atlantic, it's still going to be a hurricane. And the folks on the Florida east coast, you're going to know a hurricane is coming over when it finally makes its trek across.

BLITZER: And Hurricane Milton has already spawned tornadoes. I'm really worried about these tornadoes as well, which have torn across parts of Florida, including in Broward County. What areas are facing the largest risk of tornadoes right now?

RHOME: This area to the south and east of the hurricane. So, the Hurricane Milton is over here just offshore. This area to the south and east, this has the highest risk of tornadoes. And these tornadoes are not the typical tornadoes that we would see in a normal hurricane. They're more indicative of the classic Midwestern-style hurricane. We just get a very clear signal in the radar and then the visual confirmations are very clear tornadoes. So, if you're south and you know, to the east, you're not in the all clear. These tornadoes can spin up really, really quickly with not much notice.

BLITZER: Do you think Fort Lauderdale and Miami potentially are in danger as well?

RHOME: We already had a round-go through. In fact, you know, one went near my house. You saw them when they went through here in southeastern Florida. For now, it is cleared out, but we definitely have to remain vigilant down here in South Florida to see if another band develops over the next couple hours.

[18:10:07]

BLITZER: So, Jamie, what's your biggest concern right now beyond the areas that we all know about the immediate path of the storm? What's your biggest concern beyond those areas?

RHOME: The biggest concern is the widespread power outages that could last for days for many of the people in the path of this hurricane, and making sure that those people are going to be able to be comfortable and survive, you know, without power for several days, especially the elderly and medically sensitive, you know, making sure that they have what they need over the next several days with this widespread power loss.

BLITZER: Jamie Rhome with the National Hurricane Center in Miami, thanks very much. Stay safe over there as well.

Just ahead, we'll have much more on the breaking news, our live report from the most populous city in Hurricane Milton's path. We're talking about Tampa.

Stay with us. You're in The Situation Room. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:15:00]

BLITZER: All right, we're following the breaking news. The devastating impacts of Hurricane Milton are already being felt across Florida as the storm closes in on landfall.

Let's go to see that's Boris Sanchez. He joining us live in Tampa right now. Boris, what's the latest where you are?

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Wolf, conditions here have deteriorated significantly over the last few hours. The rain, as you can see, is coming down sideways. It is punishing. It feels like pellets bouncing off of your skin. The wind also is very, very strong. We're looking at very powerful winds coming off of Tampa Bay. It has knocked down tree branches. There's also all kinds of debris left over from Hurricane Helene that we are concerned about in this area. There's wood and metal from a pier that was badly damaged during that last hurricane that set records for storm surge just about two weeks ago. Those records are set to be shattered because of Hurricane Milton.

You're looking at a 15-foot storm surge potentially in Sarasota, which is only a few miles south of here. Here in Tampa Bay, you're looking at 8 to 12 feet of storm surge, and it is incredibly powerful to witness what Mother Nature can do. When we first got here this afternoon, this is Tampa Bay behind me, the water had receded significantly, especially during low tide. Those easterly winds had dragged the water out from the bay. Now that water is coming back, and it is coming back strong. There are very powerful waves smacking into the seawall here. Usually, you can see the urban skyline of Tampa behind me. Right now, it is a mass of gray.

Aside from that, Wolf, there are serious concerns about tornadoes and not just in this western region of the state of Florida, but all across the state. Today, there have been at least 90 tornado warnings across Florida. That is a record in a single day, 90 tornado warnings, including some as far as about 200 miles from where this storm is set to make landfall.

Earlier today, we got a confirmed tornado touching down in Broward County. As you know, Wolf, that is in the southeastern part of Florida, nowhere near this central western region of the Sunshine State.

As Hurricane Milton barrels down, the other concern for officials is the fact that this storm is moving a bit faster than expected. It is getting closer to Florida quicker than they thought. Initially, landfall later, later this evening. Now, within the next hour, hour- and-a-half to two hours, we're at about 8:00 P.M., we're looking at landfall from Hurricane Milton as a Category 3 storm. It is going to be insanely powerful.

Wolf, officials have made clear that folks that are staying and riding the storm out should not go outside for any reason. We've already seen Emergency Management Services get shut down in some of the barrier islands, including Anna Maria Island. It is simply too strong a storm for emergency officials to go out. So, even if you call out for an emergency, it is likely that there is not a helping hand coming. Wolf?

BLITZER: Yes, Broward County, that's where Fort Lauderdale is. I'm very worried about all of Florida right now. Boris, how have conditions changed where you are in the Tampa Bay area? And let's not forget, Tampa Bay and the St. Petersburg area together have a population of more than 3 million people. How have those conditions changed in the past hour or two?

SANCHEZ: Yes, Wolf. That's part of the significant concern for this area. Tampa hadn't had a direct hit from a hurricane for almost a hundred years, and Milton was threatening to do just that. As of the last few forecasts, the storm has shifted somewhat south, so it's likely Tampa Bay will not get a direct hit with the eye of Milton, but it is still an extremely powerful storm. We're talking about rainfall of up to a foot on top of that 8 to 12-foot storm surge for this area. And there's nowhere for that water to go.

So, it is very likely that we are going to see property damage. It is also likely, Wolf, that we will see loss of life.

BLITZER: There also have been, as you and I know, very dire warnings coming from Tampa's mayor for those who have chosen not to evacuate. What is your sense about whether people are heeding all the warnings from local leaders?

SANCHEZ: Wolf, it's a mix to a lot of folks yesterday where I was in Treasure Island. That's a barrier got ocean on one side and bay on the other. And by the time we got out that night, it seemed like a ghost town. There was no one there. There was no traffic. We couldn't find any residents that decided to weather the storm.

Here in Tampa, it's a bit different. Our crews earlier today spoke with one man who is trying to ride out the storm on his boat, believe it or not, which sounds like a deadly, deadly decision. We'll see how he fares with the storm, but that is not a good idea.

Beyond that, Wolf, we've also seen folks that appear to be trying to write out the storm, but who are very curious and wanting to even take pictures the entire day. Even as of about an hour ago, there were folks out here trying to take selfies, trying to take pictures of each other in the storm.

[18:20:02]

I've seen even kids brought out. This is not the kind of storm that you want your children out in. As we've heard from officials over and over again, now is the time to hunker down. You should shelter in place. You should not be outside in a situation like this, Wolf.

BLITZER: Shelter in place, the key words right now.

Boris Sanchez in Tampa, stay safe over there as well.

I want to go to another location in Tampa right now. That's where CNN's Isabel Rosales is for us near Hillsborough Bay. Isabel, what are the conditions like there?

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, they just keep getting worse and worse by the hour. We are beginning to see hurricane force winds hitting the western coast part of the state here.

What I'm keeping my eye on is Tampa. Tampa -- I just spoke with the mayor and I asked her when they would be suspending first responder services, when those police officers will no longer, because of their safety and concerns about that, be able to go out and help people in need. And she thought it wouldn't take that much longer anymore. They're around wind speeds, right, when it starts to getting to 40, 45 miles per hour, that is when they call it quits and don't allow their officers to go out there, again, out of concerns for their safety.

Now, something interesting, Wolf, is going to be happening here to the Tampa Bay in terms of the water, we're going to see a wild swing from low to high water levels, even a reverse surge, as these easterly winds actually pulls the water out of the bay and into the ocean. And then by the time the storm passes, we're going to see a change of the wind direction. And then we could be seeing, according to NOAA, water levels projected to rise six feet in six hours by Thursday morning.

Now, the good news in all of this, if you could call it that, is that we're not seeing the worst projections that we had seen earlier on of 10 to 15-foot storm surge for the Tampa Bay. So, that was going to be something incredibly unprecedented, even in comparison to Helene two weeks ago.

The sheriff, I spoke with Sheriff Chad Chronister of Hillsborough County, he says what is keeping him up at night is not just the water, but all of this debris, he says the contractors drop the ball in clearing out the debris before Milton, Helene debris. And he is worried that those -- that that debris is going to be flying projectiles and get in the way of rescue operations. Wolf?

BLITZER: All right. Stay safe over there, Isabel Rosales on the scene for us.

Right now, I want to bring in Gene Brown. He's the mayor of Bradenton, Florida. That's just of Tampa. Mayor, thanks so on this awful day. What is the situation on the ground right now as Hurricane Milton approaches landfall, presumably not very far away from where you are?

MAYOR GENE BROWN, BRADENTON, FLORIDA: Yes, sir. Thanks for having me. And, obviously, we're very concerned about the wind, the debris that's out there, the surge that's coming in. You know, we all day were saying to get to a shelter, get to a shelter. Now it's basically shelter in place. Don't try to go out now. Don't try to say I got to get out of here and get to a shelter because you will die if you get out in the wind and when it starts coming.

And we're on the right side of the storm. The way it looks like it's still going up and maybe even to hit the Tampa Bay area, which will bring more storm surge to us. We saw with Helene we had six feet. Now we're talking about 7 to 12 feet with the rain. With Helene, we didn't have the rain. So, we're just worried about people that didn't leave, and I think there's probably a few, not as many as would have been in the past, but, please, if you're listening to this, shelter in place and try to find the highest in your house you can.

BLITZER: Yes, good advice indeed. Mayor, we're showing our viewers a live look at your city right now where the rain is clearly coming down. The wind is clearly picking up big time. Your major concern, of course, is the storm surge. What are you bracing for as water levels climb higher and higher?

BROWN: Well, we had along all of our waterways, the Manatee River and some of our tributaries that come in the Braden River, the Raes Creek area, where we had over 700 homes that actually had some of them up to four and five feet in the home. Those homes, you know, are already suffering. The debris, we got a lot of it up around the waterways and we couldn't get it all. We worked as hard as we could with our city staff and authorities (ph), but it's out there. And I'm worried about if people said, oh, well, it only came up to there and then they decided not to leave, the storm debris that's there could become projectiles.

As everyone said, and we're worried about people, you know, just trying to then sync to go, it's not that bad and go out, this is bad. And the storm surge, you know, you run from, or you hunker down from wind, run from water, this water, if it goes up to 12 to 15 feet, like they're saying, a lot of people will die, and that's the sad part.

[18:25:06]

BLITZER: Very, very sad indeed. Mayor Gene Brown, thanks very much. Stay safe. We'll stay in touch with you.

Coming up, the breaking news continues here on CNN as Hurricane Milton's strongest winds and deadliest storm surge close in on Florida as we're speaking.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: We're following the major breaking news right now. Hurricane Milton is lashing Florida right now with very strong winds and heavy rains, as the eye of the powerful storm nears landfall.

CNN's Brian Todd is on the scene for us in Tampa, where conditions are worsening by the minute right now.

[18:30:03]

What are you seeing, Brian?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right, Wolf. You can see it right now, we're getting slammed with some of the worst wind and rain that we've experienced all day, the water really starting to build up here on Bayshore Boulevard. Residents here along this street really worried now about whether the storm surge is going to push this water up from Tampa, Tampa Bay, onto these streets and start to flood this zone in the coming hours. This entire region now hunkering down as this storm moves in.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHIEF JIM KILPATRICK, ST. PETE BEACH FIRE DEPARTMENT: When the winds pick up, it is not safe to be outside right now. You should be in a structure that is able to withstand the storm and be hunkering down.

LT. GOV. JEANETTE NUNEZ (R-FL): Many bridges are closed. Now is not the time to be deciding what you're going to do if you're home, stay home, hunker down.

TODD (voice over): Tonight, Florida bracing for impact as Hurricane Milton begins to come ashore. Milton's outer band bringing multiple tornadoes today, with more likely to come as the storm gets closer to landfall in just a few hours.

The National Weather Service is warning that Milton could be one of the most destructive hurricanes to ever hit West Central Florida. Millions have been urged to evacuate yesterday and early this morning. Long lines of cars and backed up traffic from the areas expected to be hit the hardest, showing that many have been listening.

JARED PERDUE, SECRETARY, FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION: We were glad that people chose to leave seeing where they lived and were evacuating to get to safety.

TODD: But even for those who decide to leave, challenges on the way. More than 1,700 gas stations in Florida were already out of fuel Wednesday morning, while others decided to stay home to ride out the storm.

BREEZY CALVILLO, NOT EVACUATING HOME: I would prefer to be at the house and to be stranded in the middle of the street somewhere, where that's just as dangerous.

TODD: And even those who feel confident in their decision to stay admit there is only so much you can prepare for a storm like Milton.

What else is kind of having you and your family a little bit worried right now?

CHASE MCBRIDE, NOT EVACUATING HOME: Definitely a north move in the track. You know, if it keeps coming north, you know, we could be in trouble.

TODD: And officials reminding those who stay that when the worst of the storm hits, they will be on their own.

SHERIFF CHAD CHRONISTER, HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, FLORIDA: When you make that call for help, I can't imagine what you would feel when you when you ask for help, and it's too dangerous, and help's not coming. Don't be that person.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TODD (on camera): Now regarding those 911 calls, officials here have been telling us all day that once the wind gets to about 45 miles an hour and higher, that's the point where it's a cutoff. The first responders cannot get out on the roads when the wind is that strong or moving faster. We're almost at that point now, Wolf. If people are going to call in crisis right now, they may not be accessible. Wolf?

BLITZER: All right. Brian Todd on the scene for us in Tampa, thank you very, very much. Stay safe over there.

Joining us now, the Homeland Security secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas. Mr. Secretary, thanks for joining us on this very busy day.

What are you most concerned about right now as Hurricane Milton barrels towards Florida?

All right, Mr. Secretary, I think we've got a connection problem. Hold on one second. All right, Mr. Secretary, I was asking you what you were most concerned about right now as Hurricane Milton is barreling toward Florida.

ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: Wolf, our greatest concern is the safety and well being of residents in the impacted areas. That is why, and we're very appreciative of your repetition of this critical, critical message, people have to listen to their local officials with respect to what they should be doing to take care of themselves and their loved ones. We are most concerned about the safety and well being of residents.

BLITZER: We're just, what, a couple hours or so away from when Hurricane Milton is expected to start making landfall. How dangerous is this hurricane and the storm surge that is about to begin?

MAYORKAS: Wolf, this is a matter of life and death, and I can't put it any more bluntly or directly than that. This is a matter of life and death, which is why people have to listen to the instructions that local officials provide to them.

And, of course, in addition to the well being of individuals, we are likely to see the destruction of property, real property, homes and the like.

BLITZER: What are you hearing, Mr Secretary, from officials on the ground about how many people listen to the warnings to evacuate ahead of Hurricane Milton making landfall?

MAYORKAS: We are hearing positive news that people really have abided by the instructions of their local officials. Of course, there are those who have not, who have decided to stay put, and they, therefore, have to shelter in place in those areas that are going to be immediately impacted.

At the very same time, following President Biden and Vice President Harris' direction, we have surged an extraordinary number of resources to be ready to provide that critical search and rescue operation and to be there for people in their moment of need.

[18:35:14]

BLITZER: We've learned, Mr. Secretary, just a little while ago that of 250,000 people in Florida have already lost power. Are FEMA and the federal government prepared for the scale of the predicted devastation from Hurricane Milton?

MAYORKAS: We are. And, Wolf, you know, what will be very, very difficult is the long-term impacts to critical infrastructure. But let me take Hurricane Helene and its significant impact as an example.

At its height, there were 5.1 million people without power, and we've reduced that by 4.9 million people. There were approximately 3.4 million people without communications, and we've reduced that by 3.2 million. And so working with the private sector, working across the federal government, working with our state and local officials, we have been able to deliver the resources for people.

There are still people in remote areas adversely impacted, but our work continues. And as President Biden and Vice President Harris have said, we will be there for the long haul. We will not be there just for a moment in time,

BLITZER: And we are so grateful to the men and women at the Department of Homeland Security for all you are doing. Mr. Secretary, thanks very much for joining us.

MAYORKAS: Thank you, Wolf.

BLITZER: I want to go back to our Chief Climate Correspondent Bill Weir. He's joining us from St. Petersburg in Florida. Give us the latest where you are, Bill.

WEIR: Well, Wolf, you were talking to Brian Todd, he's across the bay from us, but it's really starting to kick up here at the end of the St. Pete Pier, where every other wave now is breaching the wall. These are monsters, but this is just the beginning. We've just got gusts above 50 miles an hour, so Manatee County, that means they've stopped responding to 911 calls. Oh, I don't know if you can see the pelicans out there fighting against these gale force winds, nature, something to behold in these storms.

But just for perspective, the last time a major hurricane hit Tampa- St. Pete, they've been so lucky for so long, over a century ago, 1921. And since then, over 3 million people have moved into this area. And thanks to climate change and a warmer planet melting the poles. The sea is a foot higher than it was in 1921.

The tide is also working with this storm. Helene was against the tide for a little bit, but the tide hits high about 6:00 A.M. tomorrow morning, just as this storm surge is really going to be start to felt along the stretch of coast right here. Of course, we're worried about all of the debris that's still left over from Helene that's turning into floating and flying projectiles. But this storm is also kicking up a really extraordinary amount of tornadoes in Fort Pierce. One was spotted there as well. And there's never a good time to lose your house to a tornado, but the absolute worst time is a few hours before a hurricane like this comes.

So, we were talking, Angela Fritz, our great climate editor at CNN, was saying we got to talk about how there's no place to evacuate to in Florida as a result of this super storm, supercharged Hurricane Milton. But we're going to be here, watch the waves come in. And if they breach and we start to see that surge into downtown St. Petersburg, we'll fall back to that and keep you posted. But for right now, we'll send it back to you.

BLITZER: All right, just stay safe, as I keep telling everyone. Bill Weir in St. Petersburg, Florida for us, thank you.

Just ahead, Hurricane Milton already breaking records in Florida, generating the most tornado warnings for that state in a single day. The breaking news continues right after a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:40:00]

BLITZER: We're back with the major breaking news, Hurricane Milton on a speed-up collision course with Florida's Gulf Coast.

Let's go back to CNN's Randi Kay. She's in Sarasota for us. Randi, the latest update at the top of the hour has Milton some 50 miles southwest of Sarasota. Give us an update on what you're experiencing right now as we get closer and closer to landfall.

KAYE: Yes. Wolf, we just checked in with our weather team just because just before coming on the air here, and they said that the center of the storm is about 35 miles from where we are right now. So, they also told us, unfortunately, this is about the best weather that we're going to see.

We have been experiencing major winds here, still the steady rains coming down, but serious wind. We've been seeing gusts of 77 miles per hour, according to our great meteorologist here at CNN. They've been tracking that for us.

The conditions, though, as I said, have been deteriorating. We've been getting these alerts on our phones saying to shelter in place. Because of these conditions, these gusts just come barreling through. But there's also the water that seems to be gathering. We are in a neighborhood here that has evacuated.

And I just want to show you what's happening in the street here outside where we're staying. Take a look here. You can see this just keeps getting deeper and deeper.

So, these streets are flooded. That's one of the reasons why people were told to evacuate. This area was hit really hard by Helene just about ten days ago -- I'm trying to keep myself upright here -- about ten days ago or a couple of weeks ago. So, these people are heeding the warnings and they know what can happen.

We've been driving around this neighborhood, Wolf, and you can see that there's so much debris, people emptying out their homes, their lives, onto the street after Helene destroyed it. So, those things, all of that furniture and all of that debris, can, of course, become projectiles.

So, we're seeing that around here, that's a concern, as well as just out there in the distance, there are construction fences that are now blowing in the wind.

[18:45:06]

So, there's just a lot of concern about things that could become air- borne in winds like this, Wolf.

BLITZER: And they could become projectiles -- could -- not only damaged housing, but also potentially injure or kill people if those projectiles go, go towards them.

Randi Kaye in Sarasota, stay safe over there.

Coming up, we'll go back live to Tampa as the sun prepares to set just ahead of Hurricane Milton's landfall.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Back to the breaking news, some of Hurricane Milton's most devastating impacts are coming ashore in Florida as the eye of the storm closes in on landfall.

CNN's Boris Sanchez is back with us. He's joining us from Tampa.

Boris, update our viewers right now in the conditions where you are.

SANCHEZ: Yeah, Wolf. Conditions here have steadily, steadily intensified.

[18:50:03]

We were seeing harsher winds than we have all day. The wind very, very powerful coming off of Tampa bay right now. It is pushing the water in the bay closer and closer to the seawall here. Early in the day, we saw that water recede, and now, it is coming back with intense force.

We are anticipating an eight to 12-foot storm surge here. Aside from that, you've got massive amount of rain. Just in the last 12 hours or so, Tampa has seen an immense amount of rain. At 2:00 p.m. we started seeing maximum rainfall. They're going to get roughly six months worth of rain in just about a day or so, and there's nowhere for that water to go. So we are anticipating greeting widespread flooding on top of the storm surge and the rain and the wind. You're looking at a lot of tornadoes of the state of Florida has seen more tornado warnings today, wolf in a single day than ever in its history, some as far as Broward county. And so for folks that live in this area, were anticipating not only property damage, but potentially loss of life as well.

And as I look behind me, some of the problems have been exacerbated by hurricane Helene coming fewer or just about two weeks ago. There are planks of wood and appear that got busted up from hurricane Helene. Your scrap metal there as well.

Clearly, this is an extremely dangerous situation as we've seen branches come down, we started to see stuff just flying past us. And beyond that wolf conditions are getting bad enough that I think in a few moments are crews actually going to move locations? Because this is simply unsustainable.

Again, the message from officials, if you were in this area, shelter in place immediately, you do not want to be caught out in these conditions, Wolf.

BLITZER: Yeah, we want you to be safe. You and all of our photo- journalists are courageous team on the scene for us right now.

And just remind me, Boris, authorities -- local authorities have already told everyone who had decided not to evacuate, to remain -- to shelter in place, as they say, stay inside their homes, go up to a second level of the highest level in the house. At least for now, because it's a very, very dangerous situation.

SANCHEZ: Absolutely, Wolf. Yeah. Officials put out the word from the National Hurricane Center earlier today, we're past the point of no return when it comes to an evacuation. You need to get inside. You need to shelter in place.

As you said, if you're concerned about flooding, find an elevated location in your home, far from windows, Wolf, it is getting more intense literally as we speak.

BLITZER: All right. Boris Sanchez in Tampa, stay safe for us. As I always tell you and all of our photojournalist on the scene.

Coming up, we'll speak live with a hurricane hunter who has just returned from flying into the eye of Hurricane Milton.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:57:14]

BLITZER: Let's get back to the breaking news right now. Officials are urging Floridians in Milton's path to shelter in place right now, warning it's too late to evacuate as the dangerous hurricane hammers the state before the eye of the storm comes ashore very, very soon.

I want to bring in -- hurricane hunter Nick Underwood is joining us right now. Nick, thanks very much for joining us.

I know you just landed after having flown through Hurricane Milton.

From what you saw, can you describe what you saw and what that tells you potentially about how powerful this storm is going to be?

NICK UNDERWOOD, HURRICANE HUNTER: Yeah. Wolf, when our crew first entered the storm this morning, it was still a category five intensity. It's been weakening throughout the day, but it's still a major hurricane as its making away ashore, on the western coast of Florida. And so as you said, people who decided not to evacuate, now at the time to shelter in place. Now is the time to be as safe as you can.

BLITZER: We're showing some of the video that you and your team collected from inside Hurricane Milton.

How does what we're seeing helped by forecast storms like this?

UNDERWOOD: So our crews have been flying into hurricane Milton all week, collecting important atmospheric and oceanographic data that feeds the forecast models that the national hurricane center puts out.

So that feeds the watches, the warnings, and the better job we can do in the air, the more accurate those predictions are going to be, and the earlier that we can warn people that the storm is coming your way.

BLITZER: Nick, how does the size and intensity of Hurricane Milton compare with other hurricanes you've seen over the years?

UNDERWOOD: I've been doing this job for about eight years now. Milton, category five storm in the Gulf of Mexico reminds me of Hurricane Ian a couple of years ago. But every storm is different. Every storm is going to take a different track, cause different impacts, but it's -- it's a powerful storm and I just hope for the safety of everyone that's in its path.

BLITZER: I hope so too. What scares you the most about the potential impact of Milton?

UNDERWOOD: I personally live in St. Petersburg, Florida. Most of our crews live in and around the Tampa Bay area. And so while, we've been out flying into the storm collecting the data providing that forewarning of it, we've also had to take the time to prepare our own families, prepare our own communities. And so, that's been challenging and I'm scared of what welcome home to.

But my family is out of the way safe. My friends, my neighbors are as safe as they can be and just looking forward to getting back to them.

BLITZER: Yeah. Well, good luck with the family. We hope for the very, very best.

Nick Underwood, thank you very much for all the important work that you're doing for all of us. We appreciate it very much. Thank you very much. And as I always say, stay safe.

And to our viewers, thanks very much for watching. I'm Wolf Blitzer in THE SITUATION ROOM.

"ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT" starts right now.