AM Headlines: Staying Cool and Dry Breezy Thursday Hurricane Milton Florida Impacts Sunny and Warmer Weekend Discussion High pressure will keep our forecast quiet today with temps topping out in the mid 70s this afternoon. Some clouds will fill in tonight, but Milton will stay well south of the region, making landfall near Tampa after midnight. Winds will pick up due to the tighter pressure gradient with gusts 20-30 mph possible across the Piedmont through Thursday morning. A cold front will pass through the area tomorrow, keeping temps cooler with highs in the low 70s. Chilliest morning will be Friday morning with lows in the 30s and 40s. Temps will warm into the weekend with highs reaching the upper 70s to low 80s by Sunday. A cold front will bring spotty rain chances Monday, but that will be the best opportunity for any rain locally over the next 7 day. Hurricane Milton remains a catastrophic Category 5 storm with winds of 160 mph. It has picked up speed just a bit as it moves toward the Florida Gulf coast. It is expected to make landfall after midnight tonight near Tampa. Storm surge up to 15 feet possible with flooding rain and hurricane force winds possible for central and east central Florida through Thursday afternoon. Widespread power outages are likely across Florida as the wind field from Milton expands over the next 36 hours. Tropical Storm Watches and Warnings are in place for parts of the north and south carolina coasts as tropical storm force winds will be possible as Milton crosses in the Atlantic. But no direct impacts from the storm locally.