Fearful Florida residents are streaming out of the Tampa Bay region ahead of what could be a once-in-a-century direct hit from Hurricane Milton

After a century of near misses and close calls, Tampa Bay’s nightmare scenario churned ever closer to reality by Tuesday afternoon as Hurricane Milton headed toward the region, expected to make landfall as a Category 3 storm.

With reverse storm surge, especially in larger storms, the opposite happens, explained AccuWeather meteorologist Paul Pastelok in 2022, after Ian hit. “It can pull the water out because the wind flow is coming from land to ocean, and it pushes the water,” he said. “The power of the wind is incredible.”