For the second time in three weeks, Florida is bracing for a potentially devastating hurricane with this storm taking aim at the Tampa Bay area.
Hurricane Milton exploded in strength to a Category 5 storm Monday off the Yucatan Peninsula with winds topping 180 miles per hour. Spaghetti charts show landfall sometime late Wednesday or early Thursday in the Tampa Bay and St. Petersburg area.
The monster storm has the potential to cause historic flooding and damage to an area just north of where Hurricane Ian hit in 2022.
Many counties and school districts in the central Florida bull's-eye have canceled classes and extracurricular activities although some programs have left scheduled games on the docket. The decision to cancel likely will be left to local authorities pending the damage in the aftermath of the story.
Hurricane Milton is taking aim at central Florida with landfall expected late Wednesday or early Thursday. Unknown is the impact on high school athletics, although the storm could bring historic flooding to the Tampa Bay area. (Photo: Francis Fedor)
The Florida High School Athletic Association posted a video by Executive Director Craig Damon on its
website Tuesday urging residents to take caution, while adding that many areas will continue to play games as scheduled.
"With Hurricane Milton approaching, the FHSAA reminds all schools to be prepared to follow your local emergency management agencies. Your safety and well-being are of the utmost concern to us," Damon said. "After much conversation, the fall sports schedule will continue as planned and we will work to provide as much flexibility as possible in rescheduling contests. … All decisions remain tentative and remain contingent on post-storm outcomes."
Hurricane Helene raced through the Big Bend area of Florida and battered parts of Georgia, North Carolina and into the Tennessee Valley from Sept. 24-29, killing more than 150 people.
Many places along the path of Helene are still without power as federal first responders are on the ground providing aid.
While prep sports are an afterthought in the wake of the devastation caused by the storms, delays and cancellations have a ripple effect on postseason play.
Georgia's high school governing body changed the
end date of the football regular season to accommodate teams needing to make up games. On Tuesday, the South Carolina High School League executive committee voted 9-4 to extend the football regular season one week for disruptions caused by Helene.
Florida is well into district play with games that factor into postseason seeding and significant cancellations or postponements could force the FHSAA to take the same approach.
