Sarasota and Manatee counties are now under a hurricane Warning and storm surge warning due to Hurricane Milton.

Storm surge is primarily caused by strong winds that push water onto the shore. Those sustained wind speeds, which may exceed 150 miles per hour, will push ocean water onto land, significantly elevating the normal sea level. Current forecasts indicate that these winds could drive over 12 feet of water ashore in the coming days.

A 2023 study found nearly half of all fatalities in landfalling hurricanes in the U.S. between 1963 and 2012 were the result of storm surge flooding.