By Jack Phillips Contributing Writer  The mayor of Tampa, Florida, warned that people who choose to stay in areas under mandatory evacuation orders due to the impending threat posed by Hurricane Milton may be killed.  Hurricane Milton intensified to a Category 5 storm on Monday with winds in excess of 180 mph and a minimum central pressure of 897 millibars. The storm weakened somewhat overnight, according to the National Hurricane Center, which issued an advisory Tuesday morning confirming Milton was a Category 4 storm. Milton has 145 mph winds and a minimum central pressure reading of 929 millibars as of the online publication of this story, the NHC said.  “There’s never been one like this,” Tampa Mayor Jane Castor told CNN on Monday, adding that people who choose to “ride out” Milton will face a life-threatening situation.  She then warned: “If you choose to stay in one of those evacuation areas, you’re going to die.”  “Anyone who was born and raised in the Tampa Bay area has never seen anything like this,” Castor said.  Despite the storm’s weakening, the NHC said in a discussion that it is changing in size. “The structure of Milton has changed significantly overnight. The pinhole eye seen yesterday has filled and earlier aircraft data showed a double eyewall structure,” the NHC said.  Recent images show that it has now “one larger eyewall” and is currently undergoing an “eyewall replacement cycle,” which “are common in strong hurricanes and often cause the peak winds to fluctuate,” causing them to expand, according to the agency.  The storm, however, will be relatively small despite the reformation, officials said. Still, it is expected to double in size by the time it slams into Florida’s central Gulf Coast area, the NHC added.  “Damaging winds, life-threatening storm surge, and heavy rainfall will extend well outside the forecast cone. It is worth emphasizing that this is a very serious situation and residents in Florida should closely follow orders from their local emergency management officials,” the discussion said. “Milton has the potential to be one of the most destructive hurricanes on record for west-central Florida.”  The storm is still expected to make landfall somewhere near Tampa on Wednesday evening as a major hurricane, meaning a Category 3 storm or greater, recent NHC modeling shows. Hurricane and tropical storm warnings are still in effect for much of Florida’s Gulf Coast as well as Florida’s eastern coast after Milton passes through the state, emerging in the Atlantic Ocean.  Forecasters warned of a possible 8- to 12-foot storm surge in Tampa Bay. That’s the highest ever predicted for the location and nearly double the levels reached two weeks ago during Helene, hurricane center spokesperson Maria Torres said.  The storm could also bring widespread flooding. Five to 10 inches of rain was forecast for mainland Florida and the Keys, with as much as 15 inches expected in some places.  On Monday, the NHC’s office in Tampa said that the storm could be the most powerful hurricane to hit Tampa in more than 100 years, likely referring to the Tarpon Springs hurricane that caused devastation in 1921.  Mandatory evacuation orders have been issued in multiple counties so far, including multiple zones in Clay, Citrus, Collier, Hernando, Hillsborough, Lee, Levy, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, and Volusia counties.  Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday morning reassured residents there is no shortage of fuel despite reports of long lines at gas stations in the state.  “There is no fuel shortage. Fuel continues to arrive in the state of Florida,” he said, adding that the state is working with fuel companies to bring in the product.  “You do not have to get on the interstate and go far away,” DeSantis said at a Tuesday news conference. “You can evacuate tens of miles; you do not have to evacuate hundreds of miles away. You do have options.”  Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell told reporters that her agency is moving staff and supplies into place in advance of Milton, pleading with residents to heed evacuation orders.  “This is an extremely dangerous hurricane,” Criswell said Tuesday morning. “I need people to listen to their local officials to get out of harm’s way… people don’t need to move far. They just need to move inland.”  The Associated Press contributed to this report.  Hurricane Milton’s wind speed forecast as updated by the National Hurricane Center on Oct. 8, 2024. Image courtesy of the US National Hurricane Center. The post Tampa mayor warns residents who won’t evacuate: ‘You’re Going to Die’  appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.