(This story will update.)
For the second time in two weeks, Florida is preparing for potentially life-threatening hazards as a major hurricane approaches its west coast. Hurricane Milton, now a Category 4, continues its path toward Sarasota, where it is expected to make landfall Wednesday night.
Palm Beach County is under a tropical storm warning through Thursday and a tornado watch through 9 p.m. Wednesday. County officials issued evacuation orders Tuesday for residents living in Zone A — made up of low-lying inland areas not necessarily along the coast — as the state braces for the landfall.
Residents can check their evacuation zones on the county's emergency preparedness website.
Información importante en Español:Huracán Milton: Una orden de evacuación y los refugios en el condado de Palm Beach
Advisories from the National Hurricane Center in Miami urged Palm Beach County residents to prepare for significant wind damage and secure lightweight objects, which could become projectiles during the storm. With winds forecasted at between 58 and 73 mph, residents may expect to see mobile homes damaged, trees uprooted and roads made impassable by large debris.
Here are the latest updates on closures, cancellations and storm responses across Palm Beach County.
PBIA closes to arriving aircraft at 7 p.m., two hours ahead of schedule
Palm Beach International Airport closed to arriving aircraft at 7 p.m. Wednesday, two hours earlier than it had planned.
It intends to reopen as soon as conditions improve, airport officials said in a prepared statement Wednesday.
PBIA's schedule changed as Hurricane Milton began to move faster through the Gulf of Mexico and was projected to make an earlier landfall than originally forecast.
Airport officials instructed passengers to contact their airlines regarding their flight status.
Palm Beach County shelters house hundreds as Milton approaches
More than 600 people entered shelters in Palm Beach County Wednesday as they braced for potential impacts from Hurricane Milton.
The county opened five general population shelters in addition to a pet friendly and a special needs shelter. County spokesperson John Jamason said a total of 611 people were in shelters as of Wednesday evening. That total included 228 people at Lake Shore Middle School in Belle Glade.
"It is a pretty good amount," Jamason said. "A lot of times the Glades shelter doesn't have a ton of people. I think maybe it's because it could be a little worse out there, or maybe it's a little worse earlier than over here on the coast."
As of 5:15 p.m., Palm Tran buses were winding down operations, Jamason said. Palm Beach County Fire Rescue vehicles were still responding to calls.Little had been reported in terms of storm-related damage, he said.
Tornado powers north from Wellington, weather service confirms
A tornado was spotted in Wellington at about 4 p.m. Wednesday and powered north past Southern Boulevard toward Westlake and Northlake Boulevard.
A witness who captured video of the tornado said it sounded like a freight train as it moved past a Publix shopping plaza along Southern.
5 p.m. advisory: Milton, Cat. 3, heading to Florida's Gulf Coast at 17 mph
Hurricane Milton, now a Category 3, is expected to make landfall near or just south of Tampa Bay on Wednesday evening. According to the National Hurricane Center's 5 p.m. advisory, the storm will move across the central part of the Florida peninsula overnight before emerging off the state's east coast early Thursday.
At the time of the advisory, maximum sustained winds were near 120 mph. Several tornadoes, possibly including a few strong tornadoes, remain likely this afternoon and tonight across parts of central and southern Florida.
Jupiter declares local state of emergency
Jupiter declared a state of emergency at noon on Wednesday. All town offices, as well as the Police Department Records Department and parksand recreational facilities, are closed through Thursday. All inspections scheduled during this time will be moved to the next business day.
Barring unforeseen circumstances, the town said it will reopen for regular business at 8 a.m. on Friday. Town parks will reopen once they have been evaluated for safety.
Majority of hotels in Palm Beach County are booked
Discover The Palm Beaches, a county tourism marketing agency, announced Wednesday that 88% of the county's hotels are at full occupancy for Wednesday night.
"The Palm Beaches have close to 20,000 hotel rooms," the agency said in a news release. "The region remains a resilient destination for travelers and evacuees."
When will students know if Palm Beach County schools will reopen Friday?
Palm Beach County students are out of schoolWednesday and Thursday, and school district leaders expect to be able to reopen campuses for classes on Friday. In an email to parents Tuesday evening, Superintendent Mike Burke said the district hopes to have an announcement by Thursday evening on whether schools will reopen the following day.
In order to reopen schools, the school district staff must assess any damage caused by the storm to every campus. If a campus is not safe to reopen, students and staff will not be allowed in the building. The update on reopening will be sent out via text message and email, posted on the district's social media pages and be shared with local media.
Tornado warnings issued throughout morning for Palm Beach County
The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for southwestern Palm Beach County, including Belle Glade and Pahokee, as it tracked tornados moving north from Broward County. The warning expired at 11:45 a.m. Wednesday.
The rest of Palm Beach County is under a tornado watch. A tornado watch means a tornado is possible. A tornado warning means a one is happening or about to happen.
Solid Waste Authority of Palm Beach County operated normally Wednesday
The Solid Waste Authority of Palm Beach County is open and on normal operating hours Wednesday. It will be closed Thursday.
City services in West Palm Beach suspended beginning noon Wednesday
West Palm Beach closed nonessential operations from noon Wednesday through Thursday as Hurricane Milton makes its approach to the west coast of Florida.
The city said facilities that are not related to public safety or essential 24/7-hour operations will be closed. All facilities and operations will resume on Friday.
All sanitation services in the city will be suspended Thursday, including special pickups. Trash and yard waste not collected on Thursday will be collected at the next scheduled pickup. Sanitation services will resume on Friday.
Riviera Beach suspending non-emergency operations through Thursday
Like West Palm Beach, Riviera Beach also shut down nonemergency and nonessential operations from noon through Thursday, with operations resuming on Friday, depending on the hurricane's impact.
Riviera Beach has canceled sanitation services on Thursday, with service resuming on Monday. Recycling and bulk material collection scheduled for Thursday has also been suspended until the next regularly scheduled pickup.
Riviera Beach residents have been invited to report storm impacts by logging onto the city's Q Alert system through this link:https://www.rivierabch.com/311/request/add
Residents canalso sign up for the city's new Code Red alert system to get updated information about the storm's impact on Riviera Beach through this link: https://www.rivierabch.com/codered
Palm Tran offering rides to shelters between noon and 5 p.m.
In preparation for Hurricane Milton, Palm Tran's fixed-route bus service, Connection, Go Glades, and BusLink pilot program will stop operating by noon on Wednesday, through the end of the day Thursday. Starting at noon Wednesday, Palm Tran will provide transportation to shelters until 5 PM.
See themapfor locations and routes serving open hurricane shelters.
Five Palm Beach County schools to open as shelters for evacuees at noon
The county opened five shelters for the general population, a pet-friendly shelter and a special-needs shelter on Wednesday at noon.
The five general population shelters are as follows:
- Palm Beach Gardens High School at 4245 Holly Drive in Palm Beach Gardens.
- Palm Beach Central High School at 8499 W. Forest Hill Blvd in Wellington.
- Forest Hill High School at 6901 Parker Ave. in West Palm Beach.
- Park Vista High School at 7900 Jog Road in suburban Boynton Beach.
- Lake Shore Middle School at 425 W. Canal St. N. in Belle Glade.
The pet-friendly shelter is at West Boynton Recreation Center. People are asked to arrive before tropical storm force winds are expected Wednesday evening.
The special needs shelter, at the South Florida Fairgrounds in suburban West Palm Beach, began receiving preregistered residents at 10 a.m. Wednesday. Individuals can preregister online. Caregivers must accompany patients to the special needs shelter.
Need to leave home for Hurricane Milton?What to know about going to a shelter
Hurricane Milton:Watch the storm's impact, path on these Palm Beach County webcams
Palm Beach County offices and services to close at noon Wednesday
County operations and services closed at noon on Wednesday and will remain closed Thursday, according to Mayor Maria Sachs, Emergency Manager Mary Blakeney and County Administrator Verdenia Baker.
This shutdown includes county parks and beaches, libraries, Palm Tran service and senior activities. There will be no waste collection service in unincorporated Palm Beach County on Thursday.
The Palm Beach County Courthouse is also closed all day Wednesday and Thursday. Anyone needing to pay a traffic ticket, file court documents, purchase certified copies of records or make child-support or alimony payments should use the clerk’s online services while the offices are closed.
Palm Beach County schools closed Wednesday and Thursday
All Palm Beach County schools will be closed Wednesday and Thursday. After-school activities, including athletic practices and games, will also be canceled both days. The school district expects to reopen schools Friday.
Schools preparing for storm:Palm Beach County schools, universities close as Hurricane Milton loom
FAU, PBA and other colleges close ahead of storm
Florida Atlantic University's classes and on-campus activities will be canceled Wednesday through Thursday. Online classes are also canceled. Updates will be posted on fau.edu/advisory and fau.edu.
Palm Beach Atlantic University's campus, including its residence halls and dining services, closed at 5 p.m. on Tuesday. Classes at PBA will be held remotely all week. The university said it only expects its campus to be closed on Wednesday, but that it will reevaluate as the week continues. For further updates, monitor PBA’s storm updatespage.
Palm Beach State College will be closed Wednesday through Thursday in anticipation of the storm. Online classes are also canceled. Updates will be posted on www.pbsc.edu.
PBIA flights to continue until Wednesday night
Palm Beach International Airport will suspend all flights at 9 p.m. Wednesday and resume when safe to do so. Airport officials said they are monitoring the forecast for Hurricane Milton and will announce any change in operations on social media and on their website atpbia.org.
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport was open and operational Wednesday morning. As airlines have canceled flights to key storm-affected areas, travelers are encouraged to check with their airline for the latest flight information.
How to monitor power outages in Palm Beach County
Widespread power outages are expected across Florida as Milton makes landfall this week. Florida Power & Light Co., which provides electricity to most of Palm Beach County, advises customers across the state “to be ready for potential prolonged outages.”
Customers of FPL can check the company’s “Power Tracker” at https://www.fplmaps.com. The page allows people to monitor the status outages across Florida and search by address.
Customers of the Lake Worth Beach Electric Utility can find information about outages at https://wov.lakeworthbeachfl.gov.
Staff writer Julius Whigham II contributed to this story.
Correction: An earlier version of this article misstated the operating hours of the Solid Waste Authority. It is open as usual Wednesday and will close Thursday.
Hurricane Milton:PBIA closing Wednesday night, some airlines waiving fees
Hannah Phillips is a journalist covering public safety and criminal justice at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her athphillips@pbpost.com.