Regardless of the category Milton is at landfall, the impacts could be deadly for those who remain on the West Coast of Florida. Hurricane Milton is forecast to bring up to 15 feet of storm surge and a major flash flooding threat across Central Florida.

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.”