All UK flights into Florida are axed as Storm of the Century bears down: Trapped locals and holidaymakers are told it may be TOO LATE to flee before Category-5 Hurricane Milton devastates Tampa region with 15-foot floods and 175mph winds

All UK flights into Florida have been axed as the Storm of the Century bears down on the US – with trapped locals and holidaymakers told it may be too late for them to flee.

The state is holding its breath as category-5 Hurricane Milton is set to devastate the Tampa region tomorrow with 15-foot floods and 175 miles per hour winds laying waste to the city. 

School districts have closed, businesses have shut and evacuation orders have seen residents fleeing the coast, as weather officials warn the tempest could be one of the most destructive hurricanes on record.

As Milton raged across Mexico it has already left a wave of devastation in its wake – flooding streets and downing trees and powerlines with strong winds.

It was recatagorised as a category five storm overnight, with the potential of wind speeds up to a stunning 175mph.

In a devastating assessment, the National Hurricane Centre in Miami said that: ‘Milton has the potential to be one of the most destructive hurricanes on record for west-central Florida.’

Flights from London to Tampa scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday have been cancelled as airlines blamed ‘adverse weather conditions’, with planned journeys from Manchester and Edinburgh also having to be scrapped.

The American government’s Federal Emergency Management Agency has prepared 20million meals and 40million litres of water at the ready, as they prepare to deploy them after the hurricane hits. 

Terrified locals continued to try and escape the threatened state after residents were told to ‘flee or die’ in a terrifying warning, with local officials scrambling to evacuate the population before the once-in-a-century tempest hits Tampa and St Petersburg tomorrow.

Drivers last night queued in standstill traffic as the state’s major highways were clogged with miles-long lines of cars trying to flee the line of danger. Traffic is jammed both north and southbound as locals seek shelter out-of-state and in Miami.

The window has also nearly closed for people to escape the region by plane as airports in Tampa, St Petersburg and Orlando have already started shutting down and grounding flights. Thousands of British tourists are now battling hurricane chaos as Milton threatens to devastate much of the  gulf coast.

Residents who have accepted they won’t be able to flee and are hunkering down, after sprees of panic buying  stripped store shelves of bottled water, toilet paper and other household necessities. Home owners are already on the guard against thieves – with one sign in New Port Richey, just north of Tampa on Florida’s Gulf Coast, emblazoned with :’You loot, we shoot on sight’.

Those who are still desperate to escape and follow evacuation orders said it may be too ‘dangerous’ to hit the roads because local gas stations have run out of fuel. However, Governor Ron DeSantis assured residents that there’s enough fuel for them to get away from the storm.

Milton was so strong on Monday night that experts called for it to be given unprecedented Category 6 status, however the hurricane was downgraded to a Category 4 early this morning. Forecasters warn Milton is ‘expected to grow in size’ and remain ‘an extremely dangerous hurricane’ when it makes landfall tomorrow.

Last night, a  terrifying simulation laid bare what is expected to happen when Hurricane Milton strikes Florida, as the Brits remain stranded in the southern American state and holiday makers are warned to ‘stay away’. 

And, as many remain stranded in the area, animated footage has revealed the horrifying destruction Milton could wreck with as much as 15 feet of water predicted in some areas – taller than a double decker bus.

Broadcast on The Weather Channel, the brown surge of the flood can be seen rising to almost twice the height of presenter Stephanie Abrams.

Commentating on the impending disaster, she said: ‘At this level the first floors of structures are completely flooded and there are few places that it is safe when the water rises this high.

‘We want everyone to know their evacuation zone, listen to local officials and evacuate when ordered to do so. This is not just a calm water – you’re going to have waves and even whitecaps on the surge inland.’

The camera then continues to pan over the scene, which sees buildings carried off in the raging turbulence of the flood, as the water tops the tropical palm trees and dustbins and floating logs float on the surface.

Meteorologist Jordan Steele added: ‘It’s going to be nasty. Trying to think you could walk in it – please do not think that.

‘This thing will carry you away, especially when we’ve got the forecast that it could go up to 15 feet.’

Milton expanded yesterday morning as it hurtled over the Gulf of Mexico towards Tampa – making it potentially ‘one of the most destructive hurricanes on record’ for west-central Florida, according to the National Hurricane Center.

The hurricane’s 155mph winds are becoming more wide-reaching from the center of the storm – vastly increasing its capacity to cause widespread destruction.

Milton’s gales extended around 80 miles from the eye of the storm through Monday, and this increased to just over 100 miles by Wednesday morning.

‘Milton is still a relatively compact hurricane, but the wind field is expected to continue to grow in size as it approaches Florida,’ the National Hurricane Center said. 

‘In fact, the official forecast shows the hurricane and tropical-storm-force winds roughly doubling in size by the time it makes landfall.’

The storm center is expected to come ashore Wednesday in the Tampa Bay area, which has not endured a direct hit by a major hurricane in more than a century. Mayor Jane Castor issued a stark warning to residents yesterday that if they don’t evacuate, ‘you are going to die’. 

Locals have taken to social media, detailing their fears as they struggle to evacuate from communities located in Milton’s expected direct path.

Sharing drone footage of clogged traffic along I-75 between Morris Bridge and Bruce B Downs on Monday, one X user said: ‘This is why a lot of people are staying behind, at a certain point traffic is so bad you cannot get out of Florida, or there’s no gas. So you’re stuck outside of Gainesville.’

One woman, whose son lives in Hernando County, said that he is trapped. 

‘Everywhere is out of gas and roads are too backed up for him to [evacuate],’ she tweeted. ‘He has family in Georgia but can’t get there. This is scary. He is scared. I am terrified for him.’

The concerned mother added that her son’s community was also among those flooded by Hurricane Helene last week. She said: ‘Now Milton is heading for them.’

But DeSantis tried to ease fears this morning, saying during a press conference: ‘There is no fuel shortage. Fuel continues to arrive in the state of Florida.’

Despite the long lines at gas stations, DeSantis said officials are working with fuel companies to continue bringing in gasoline.

‘You do not have to get on the interstate and go far away,’ he added. ‘You can evacuate tens of miles; you do not have to evacuate hundreds of miles away. You do have options.’

He added that Florida has helped evacuate more than 200 health care facilities in Milton’s path and that 36 county-run shelters are open. 

Still, multiple people have also shared anecdotes on X detailing their fears and claiming they are unable to afford the cost of either driving or flying their way out of the state.

‘I’ve had two people in the last HOUR tell me they can’t afford to evacuate for Hurricane Milton. Never tell me low wages aren’t violent ever again,’ one user on X posted.

A Sarasota resident also claimed they were struggling to get out of the storm’s way.

‘I live in Sarasota, which is in the direct path of Hurricane Milton. They are evacuating my town, but there is no gas left to evacuate, and traffic is so bad that it could be more dangerous to try and evacuate at this point. What would you do if you were me?’

DeSantis said the state would activate 8,000 National Guard members and is positioning truckloads of supplies and equipment near the area where the storm is expected to make landfall. 

Meanwhile, the Fort Myers/Naples/Cape Coral area of Florida on the I-75 towards Miami was almost at a standstill Tuesday morning as people tried to flee. Similar scenes are also playing out on the I-4 towards Orlando and the NB I-75 out of Tampa. 

Tampa’s airport closed indefinitely from 9am Tuesday, meaning residents can no longer evacuate by plane. The airport posted on X that it is not a shelter for people or their cars.

St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport said it is in a mandatory evacuation zone and will close after the last flight leaves today.

Delta Air Lines ran out of flights from Tampa to Atlanta at 10.30am Monday, with customers having to pay more than $800 for a roundabout flight to Washington DC instead.

Meanwhile, American Airlines was selling flights from Tampa to Atlanta yesterday for between $641 and $2,400, with only a couple of seats remaining on each plane.

Florida is a popular destination for UK tourists, with over a million typically travelling there annual for attractions including Disney World. 

Universal’s Orlando Resort has cancelled a number of events over the coming week – with Volcano Bay closed tomorrow and on Thursday, alongside the Halloween Horror Nights. Their hotels intend to remain fully operational. SeaWorld Orlando also said it would close on Wednesday and Thursday.

The theme parks join Orlando International Airport, which said it would cease operations Wednesday morning. The airport is the nation’s seventh busiest and Florida’s most trafficked.

Walt Disney World will close on Wednesday in phases starting from 1pm. The theme parks will remain closed until Thursday, when there will be the potential of some reopening in the afternoon. 

The Orlando area is the most visited destination in the United States due to Disney World, Universal Orlando Resort and other theme parks, attracting 74 million tourists last year alone.

October is also among the busier times for theme parks because of Halloween-related celebrations, which have become major money generators over the past couple decades. Universal Orlando hosts ‘Halloween Horror Nights,’ with ghoulish haunted houses based on slasher films and other pop culture horror, and Disney has its tamer ‘Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party.’

While Disney rarely shuts its doors – save for dangerous hurricanes in recent years, the COVID-19 pandemic and the Sept. 11 attacks – its hotels are often havens for coastal residents fleeing impending storms. A check of Disney World’s online reservation system on Tuesday morning showed no vacancies.

Those lucky enough to get a hotel reservation have gotten unexpected treats during past storms. During Hurricane Irma in 2017, guests at a hotel on Disney property found themselves stranded with actress Kristen Bell, who voiced the role of Anna in the beloved Disney film, ‘Frozen.’ While in Orlando, the actress found time to sing songs for evacuees at a nearby hurricane shelter.

Once a hurricane passes, the theme parks try to return operations to normal as quickly as possible. After Hurricane Charley charted a devastating path through Orlando in 2004, Disney World had utility vehicles picking up downed tree limbs and clearing roads on its property within an hour in the pitch-dark night.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has urged Brits to flee, as they say they are monitoring the weather system. An spokesperson said: ‘We are closely monitoring the development of Hurricane Milton towards the United States. We urge all British nationals in Florida or travelling to the region to follow travel advice and guidance from local authorities.’ 

British tourists have been warned to stay at home by furious Florida residents as the hurricane approaches – with desperate locals branding travelers ‘selfish’ amid ‘flee or die’ warnings that have forced them to evacuate their homes.

One couple from Essex, who say they ‘love anything Disney and Universal’, said that they were going to brave the ‘worrying’ flight from Heathrow during a hurricane. They added that they had ‘taken all cautions that needed to be taken’.

But Floridians reacted in fury towards Dan and Terry, who said they would be vlogging their 16-day adventure.

Caley Kennedy, said: ‘I would not recommend coming right now. We’ve got our own people to worry about.’

Another, Erin Dowding, replied in capitals – saying: ‘DO NOT COME.’

She continued: Why would you come into a devastating hurricane that is going to do so much damage in our state and expect us to shelter tourists and then accommodate them after.

‘Just wait a week and see if it’s ok to come. Selfish.’

And a third, Amy Michelle, said: ‘Are people really that dumb? Flying into a hurricane? Stay at home! At least until the weekend when everything passes.’

Dan and Terry – who are parents to six cats – later posted a photo from the plane, with the caption ‘We’re off’. They have since landed – telling their fans ‘We’re Home’.

In groups for fans of Disney’s Florida resort, Brits were advised on how to prep for a hurricane while others spoke of their horror as they struggled to get home. 

Tampa Bay has not been hit directly by a major hurricane since 1921, and authorities fear luck is about to run out for the region and its 3.3 million residents. 

‘This is the real deal here with Milton,’ Tampa Mayor Jane Castor told a Monday news conference. ‘If you want to take on Mother Nature, she wins 100 per cent of the time.’  

President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration for Florida, and US Rep. Kathy Castor said 7,000 federal workers were mobilized to help in one of the largest mobilizations of federal personnel in history.

FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell says the agency is moving staff and supplies into place in advance of Milton.

Biden also postponed a trip to Germany and Angola – he had been due to leave Thursday – to oversee the federal response, as storm relief efforts have become a political battleground ahead of the presidential election on November 5.

Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the change was necessary ‘given the projected trajectory and strength’ of the storm. It wasn’t clear when the trip might be rescheduled. Biden had promised to go to Africa during his term in office, which ends in January.

Republican candidate Donald Trump has tapped into frustration about the emergency response after Helene and fueled it with disinformation, falsely claiming disaster money had been spent instead on migrants.

His Democratic rival Kamala Harris criticized Trump as ‘extraordinarily irresponsible.’

As of Tuesday morning, Milton was generating maximum sustained winds of 145mph and the threat of as much as 15 feet of storm surge, the National Hurricane Centre said, calling it an ‘extremely dangerous’ storm, and urging people to heed evacuation orders.

The Category 4 hurricane was to move just north of Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula on Tuesday, it said.

At a press conference Tuesday, DeSantis ticked off town after town and county after county that are in danger. ‘Basically the entire peninsula portion of Florida is under some type of either a watch or a warning,’ he said.

After weakening from a maximum Category 5 overnight, it is forecast to make landfall Wednesday night on the coast of Florida and remain powerful as it churns across the state.

Tampa is especially vulnerable to the destructive impacts of hurricanes, meaning Milton could be catastrophic, according to Dr Steven Godby, an expert in natural hazards in Nottingham Trent University’s School of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences.

Dr Godby said this is thanks to a combination of the low-lying water close to Tampa Bay and its dense population and infrastructure.

‘Tampa has long been regarded as the most vulnerable metropolitan area in the United States to storm surge flooding,’ Dr Godby explained to DailyMail.com

‘Direct hurricane strikes on the west coast of Florida are rare, but much of it is low-lying and the relatively shallow water offshore makes it vulnerable to large storm surges.

‘The last major hurricane (Category 3 on the Saffir-Simpson scale) to affect the Tampa Bay region made landfall in on 25 October 1921, bringing a storm surge of 3-3.5 metres and winds of 185 km/h that caused losses that today would be $180million.

‘With Hurricane Milton bearing down on Tampa it is worth noting that the population at that time was around 160,000 and has now swelled to over three million, many living on ground less than three metres above sea level.

‘Large numbers of homes, schools, government buildings and critical infrastructure are at risk of flooding and wind damage.’

Dr Godby added that the debris left over by Hurricane Helene which struck the region two weeks ago also poses an additional risk of projectiles being whipped up by severe winds.

‘The authorities having been stressing that people living along this coast have no living memory of this kind of storm, need to evacuate if instructed to do so and to be somewhere safe by Tuesday night,’ he said.

Forecasters warned that Milton could bring a possible eight-to-12-foot storm surge, leading to evacuation orders being issued for beach communities all along the Gulf coast.

In Florida, that means anyone who stays is on their own and first responders are not expected to risk their lives to rescue them at the height of the storm.

Tampa Bay officials are shutting off access to running water ahead of Hurricane Milton barreling in.

Authorities in Manatee County said the ‘necessary interruption of service’ would ‘ensure the utility infrastructure remains intact and to save the sewer lift stations’ from the devastating impacts of the storm.

The county has also suspended trash pickup services.

In the Sarasota County city of Venice, faucets and even fire hydrants will be closed off from Tuesday evening.

This will continue throughout the duration of Milton’s wrath over the county plus several more days.

‘Once service is restored, you will be under a boil water advisory until you receive a notification stating the water is safe for consumption,’ city officials said.

Stragglers were a problem last month during devastating Hurricane Helene and 2022’s Ian. Many residents failed to heed ample warnings, saying they evacuated during previous storms only to have major surges not materialize. 

But there was evidence on Monday that people were getting out before Milton arrives.

A steady stream of vehicles headed north towards the Florida Panhandle on Interstate 75, the main highway on the west side of the peninsula, as residents heeded evacuation orders.

The mayor of Tampa, a metropolitan area of three million that was hit hard by Helene 12 days ago, was blunt in her own assessment of the storm.

‘Helene was a wake-up call. This is literally catastrophic,’ Mayor Jane Castor said on CNN. ‘I can say this without any dramatization whatsoever: If you choose to stay in one of those evacuation areas, you are going to die.’

The risks posed by Milton were underlined by one Florida TV meteorologist who choked back tears as he talked about how Milton had intensified rapidly from a Category 1.

‘I apologize,’ weatherman John Morales said, as he surveyed the data. ‘This is just horrific.’

In a scene of frantic preparation repeated all over Florida, dozens of cars lined up at a sports facility in Tampa to pick up sandbags and protect their homes from flooding.

John Gomez, 75, ignored official advice and traveled all the way from Chicago to try to save a second house he has in Florida.

‘I think it’s better to be here in case something happens,’ Gomez said as he waited in line. ‘If I am in Chicago and something happens, I can’t do anything.’

Similarly, Nick Szabo’s fleet of excavators and dump trucks got to work at about 6.30am today, racing against the clock to haul away the three-foot-high piles of waterlogged couches, appliances, mattresses and two-by-fours that line the streets in this residential stretch of Clearwater Beach – all left behind by Hurricane Helene.

‘All this crap is going to be missiles,’ if they don’t haul it away ahead of Milton, he said. ‘It’s like a spear coming at you.’

Szabo said he was hired by a local resident eager to help clear the roads – and unwilling to wait for overwhelmed city contractors to get the job done. His team hauled away some 260 tons of debris as of 5pm on Monday and they plan to keep working until 7pm on Tuesday.

‘It feels good to help,’ Szabo said.

Traffic clogged the southbound lanes of the highway for miles as other residents headed for the relative safety of Fort Lauderdale and Miami on the other side of the state.

Waffle House is closing restaurants across Charlotte County, Hillsborough County, Lee County, Manatee County, Pasco County, Pinellas County and Volusia County, a spokesperson revealed to DailyMail.com.

The southern US restaurant chain is a bellwether for the severity of storms, since it has a reputation for staying open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, even during extreme weather events. 

About 150miles south of Tampa, Fort Myers Beach was nearly a ghost town by Monday afternoon as an evacuation order took effect.

The few residents who could be found were racing against the clock to safeguard their buildings and belongings. None said they were staying.

Ian devastated the 5,000-resident community two years ago, when its 15-foot storm surge destroyed or severely damaged 400 homes and businesses. Fourteen people died in Fort Meyers as they tried to ride out the storm, and dozens had to be rescued. 

The signs of Ian’s devastation remain visible everywhere. Rebuilt homes stand next to others in various states of construction. There are numerous vacant lots, which were once rare.

‘This whole street used to be filled out with houses,’ Mike Sandell, owner of Pool-Rific Services. His workers were removing and storing pumps and heaters on Monday from his clients’ pools so they would not get destroyed.

Home construction supplies like bricks, piping and even workers’ outhouses lined the streets, potential projectiles that could do further damage if a surge hits.

The National Weather Service said that Milton could be the worst storm to hit the Tampa area in more than 100 years. Explosively intensifying storm is the latest freaky system to come out of what veteran hurricane scientists call the weirdest storm season of their lives.

Before this Atlantic hurricane season started, forecasters said everything lined up to be a monster busy year, and it began that way when Beryl was the earliest storm to reach Category 5 on record. Then, nothing. 

From August 20 – the traditional start of peak hurricane season – to September  23 it was record quiet, said Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach.

Then five hurricanes popped up between September 26 and October 6, more than double the old record of two. 

On Sunday and Monday, there were three hurricanes in October at the same time – something that never happened before – Klotzbach said. In just 46.5 hours, Hurricane Milton went from just forming as a tropical storm with 40 mph winds to a top-of-the-charts Category 5 hurricane with 160 mph winds and then it got even stronger.

‘I was looking as far back as the Atlantic records go and there’s not really any good analogs for this season, just how neurotic it´s been,’ Klotzbach said. ‘You know, obviously the season ain´t over yet. We’ll see what pops up after Milton.’