No end to dry stretch; 70 Tuesday

A historic storm is bearing down on the Gulf Coast of Florida. Milton may become a Category 5 hurricane before weakening slightly as it approaches land, with landfall near Tampa or Sarasota, where an 8- to 12-foot storm surge is predicted by NOAA NHC. The sheer size of this storm could mean a damaging 5- to 10-foot surge as far south as Fort Myers and Naples.

What happens if Milton passes just north of Tampa? From my friend and former KSTP-TV meteorologist Dennis Feltgen: “The worst-case scenario includes more than 6 feet of water from Tampa Bay being pushed into downtown Tampa. Pinellas County would become two islands — one at the south end including St. Petersburg, the other on the north end near Tarpon Springs. The rest would be under water.” Let’s pray that doesn’t come to pass, but I fear Milton is our October surprise.

We hit 70 degrees Tuesday and 80 on Thursday before cooling into the 60s for the weekend and next week.

There’s not a drop of rain in the forecast. But with Milton top of mind, I’m not complaining any time soon.