As Hurricane Milton picks up steam in the Gulf of Mexico, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are heading to New Orleans early in advance of their Week 6 matchup.
The Bucs announced Monday that in advance of Hurricane Milton’s expected landfall, the club will depart Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday morning, relocating operations to New Orleans for the remainder of the week.
Milton has gained intensity in the past 24 hours, surging into a Category 5 storm, as of Monday afternoon. The hurricane is expected to make landfall in the Tampa Bay area by Wednesday or early Thursday. According to the National Hurricane Center, Milton’s winds increased to 160 mph (250 km/h) and the minimum pressure has fallen to 925 millibars.
The NHC announced Monday morning that there is an increasing risk of life-threatening storm surge and damaging winds in Florida beginning Tuesday night as Milton moves eastward. The current path of the hurricane takes it directly over central Florida.
The Southeastern United States is still reeling from the aftermath of Hurricane Helene as Florida braces for Milton to barrel through.