Flightradar image shows dead air above Florida as Hurricane Milton hits

As Hurricane Milton prepares to make land, a desperate flee can be seen from the skies of Florida as residents are warned it is too late to leave.

Vanessa Brown

@vanessajbrown

3 min read

October 10, 2024 - 12:54PM

‘Too late to evacuate’: Hurricane Milton expected to make landfall soon

As Hurricane Milton makes its final journey across the Gulf of Mexico before reaching land in Florida, a wave of ‘dead air’ has swept across the Sunshine State.

Conditions are already so wild in the storm-battered state of Florida that a series of huge tornadoes are careening through, hours before Hurricane Milton is due to make landfall.

The US’ National Weather Service has issued 90 tornado warnings in a single day – the most ever recorded in Florida.

Flight radar shows dead air above Florida as Hurricane Milton hits, with just a few final aircraft making their way from the coast.

Flight radar shows dead air above Florida as Hurricane Milton hits.

The storm has doubled in its geographic size in 24 hours. It will likely be a category 3 strength with winds of up to 208 km/h when it reaches the coast.

Flight cancellations have well and truly turned airports into ghost towns, with flight disruptions and closures in Florida adding to the chaos of trying to leave the state before Milton arrives.

One aircraft, a JetBlue flight from Boston bound for West Palm Beach, was forced to land in Miami following a frantic final flight into the state, with one deeming the journey as “madness”.

Jetblue flight from Boston had to make a diverted landing into Miami as the storms cells surged.

According to local media, nearly 2,000 flights within, into or out of the United States were cancelled by Wednesday night local time — including over 380 flights cancelled at Tampa International Airport. Just four of Florida’s 10 major airport will remain open at this stage — being Miami International Airport, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, Jacksonville International Airport and Key West International Airport.

Thousands of flights have been cancelled, and six of Florida’s 10 major airports have been shut down. Picture: GIORGIO VIERA / AFP.

Orlando International Airport, closed to commercial flights ahead of Hurricane Milton's arrival in Florida. Picture: GIORGIO VIERA / AFP.

Orlando International, one of the busiest airports in the US, shut down at 8am local time on Wednesday (11pm AEDT), according to a notice on its website, while Tampa International said it was closed on Tuesday local time.

A screenshot from Flightradar in the hours leading into Milton’s expected landfall arrival, dead air could be seen sweeping the state as the odd military, research or cargo plane flew over the state.

Some airlines, including American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines, announced earlier this week they would issue waivers for travellers who had booked flights into or out of Florida airports.

As reported by CBS, these waivers would allow the travellers to rebook their flights free of charge without incurring a change fee.

But it’s not just disruptions in the skies.

Hurricane Milton, said to be the worst storm to hit the state in a century, is also diverting cruises in the region.

Orlando International Airport, one of the busiest in the US, is a ghost town ahead of Hurricane Milton. Picture: Saul Martinez/Getty Images/AFP.

Hundreds of flights have been cancelled ahead of Hurricane Milton’s arrival. Picture: AP Photo/Chris O'Meara.

Royal Caribbean announced they had adjusted routes on seven separate voyages to ensure guests’ safety.

Cruise liner Carnival also notified passengers of modified routes for four ships, while others at sea would be monitored.

“All of Carnival’s ships will continue to sail a safe distance from the storm,” the company said in a statement on its website.

The storm is forecast to make landfall on Florida’s west coast, where four million people live, anytime from 10pm on Wednesday US time (1pm on Thursday AEST).

It’s likely to hit between Tampa and Fort Myers. It could then streak across the state, hitting Orlando, Cape Canaveral, Daytona Beach and the city of Melbourne, named after its Australian counterpart.

People in Florida have been told it is too late to leave. Picture: AP Photo/Chris O'Meara.

The Weather Service has said it’s now too late to flee, but that didn’t stop one family making a desperate attempt which ended in a small plane crash.

Four people and reportedly a dog were saved by U.S. Coast Guard aircrew after their small plane crashed into water in St. Petersburg amid their final evacuation ahead of Hurricane Milton.

According to local media, the aircraft went into the water off Albert Whitted Airport in St. Petersburg, Florida on Tuesday.

“A good Samaritan and St. Peterburg Fire Rescue pulled the people from the water,” according to the Coast Guard.

It is unclear if any of the passengers received injuries from the crash.

Meanwhile, some of America’s biggest theme parks have shut up shop, with some tourists stranded inside Disney World’s resort hours before the catastrophic storm strikes.