Hurricane Milton reached maximum sustained wind speeds of 180 miles per hour on Monday night, making it one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes ever. Though it had downgraded from a Category 5 storm to Category 4 by Tuesday morning, Floridians are on high alert right now—as they should be.
Hurricane, Tropical Storm and Storm Surge warnings have been issued all across the state and 13 counties have issued mandatory evacuation warnings, resulting in one of Florida's largest evacuation procedures on record. Meanwhile, towns along Florida’s Gulf Coast are still reeling from Hurricane Helene, which brought destructive levels of storm surge less than two weeks ago.
Clearly, now’s not the best time to be traveling to or from the Sunshine State. But if you’re currently traveling or have an upcoming flight you’re not sure about, we’ve put together this handy reference guide to make life a little easier. Keep reading for everything you need to know about Hurricane Milton-related flight cancellations and other travel disruptions in Miami right now.
The latest on Hurricane Milton’s path in Florida
Milton is expected to make landfall in Tampa as a Category 4 hurricane on Wednesday, October 9. As of 11am Eastern, Milton was a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 150 miles per hour, traveling ENE at a speed of 9 miles per hour.
Forecasters have warned that the storm’s damaging winds could double in size before then, meaning a much larger stretch of Florida’s west coast could experience dangerous and damaging effects as Milton comes ashore late Wednesday. Here’s the latest projections and key messages from the NOAA.
Florida airports impacted by Hurricane Milton
As of Tuesday morning, Miami International Airport (MIA) remains open, along with Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) and Palm Beach International Airport (PBI). Those airports are encouraging travelers to check with their airlines for the latest flight information. Here’s what’s going on at other Florida airports.
- Tampa International Airport (TPA) said it was closed on Tuesday and that it will provide updates on social media.
- St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport (PIE) said it will close on Tuesday after the last flight leaves. All flights are cancelled Wednesday and Thursday.
- Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW) said it is currently open but no commercial flights will operate Wednesday and Thursday and the short-term parking garage is currently full.
- Orlando International Airport (MCO) said it will suspend commercial operations at 8am Wednesday.
- Jacksonville International Airport (JAX) said it would remain open as long as airlines are operating.
How to check your flight status at MIA
Miami International Airport has advised travelers to check with their airlines for the latest flight information. The airport has its own flight tracker tool powered by OAG Flightview data, which allows you to check for real-time updates. FlightAware is also a popular, reliable and free online tool for quickly tracking flight information.
Other transport disruptions to be aware of in Miami
Wondering what’s going on with trains and popular attractions throughout Florida? Here are some additional disruptions to be aware of in Miami and beyond.
- Amtrak suspended its Silver Service between Jacksonville and Miami from October 7 to 11 and cancelled the Auto Train from October 8 to 10.
- Thousands of flights intending to arrive or depart from Florida are expected to be cancelled.
- All Allegiant Air flights on October 9 and 10 in the state were cancelled.
- Brightline operations were suspended between West Palm Beach and Orlando stations beginning on October 8.
- Several attractions were to close at Walt Disney World; Legoland Florida closed as well.
- Starting on October 8, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay was to close for three days.