Editor's note: This story will be updated.
A popular Palm Beach restaurant put shutters up, sandbags were piled outside of Worth Avenue stores and construction was paused at some beachfront condominiums as Palm Beach braced Tuesday for possible effects from Hurricane Milton.
The powerful storm is expected to make landfall Wednesday night along Florida's Gulf Coast, with National Weather Service forecasters saying Palm Beach could begin to see heavy rain and strong winds Wednesday morning. Palm Beach and most of Palm Beach County were outside of the forecast path as of the 5 p.m. Tuesday update from the National Weather Service.
Milton returned to Category 5 strength with maximum sustained winds of 165 mph as of 5 p.m. Tuesday, the National Weather Service said. It was moving east-northeast at 9 mph and would remain "an extremely dangerous hurricane through landfall in Florida," forecasters said.
Palm Beach County was under a tropical storm warning that began Tuesday morning, meaning winds of 58 to 73 mph and flooding rains could hit within 36 hours. A flood watch is in effect through Thursday morning.
As of the National Weather Service's 5 p.m. forecast, Palm Beach could see winds between 58 and 73 mph. The storm also has the potential for moderate flooding rain along with a threat of tornadoes, the weather service said.
Palm Beach should prepare to see ditches and canals quickly fill, with water gathering in some streets and parking lots as drains and retention ponds overflow, the National Weather Service said.
Town operations and the regular Town Council meeting continued as planned Tuesday, but the Town Council voted unanimously at the start of Tuesday's meeting to postpone its Development Review Committee meeting from Wednesday to 9:30 a.m., Tuesday, Oct. 15.
The mayor and council encouraged residents and business owners to closely watch the storm as it moves toward Florida's west coast. "It's been a real fickle storm," Council President Bobbie Lindsay said. "It's still not clear exactly where it's going to go."
Forecasters have said Milton could bring life-threatening storm surge and devastating winds to an area still reeling from the effects of Hurricane Helene, which made landfall in Perry in the Big Bend region on Sept. 26 but caused a deadly storm surge far south along the Gulf Coast. Officials in Pinellas County alone have attributed 12 deaths to Helene's storm surge.
Lindsay said she has "one relative in my home who has fled that area, and I think everyone is quite scared."
Palm Beach County issued an evacuation order Tuesday for Zone A, which includes manufactured homes, trailers and mostly inland areas that are prone to flooding. The town of Palm Beach is in Zone B. The county will open five shelters, a pet-friendly shelter and a special needs shelter at noon Wednesday. The five general population shelters are:
Palm Beach Gardens High School, 4245 Holly Dr., Palm Beach Gardens
Palm Beach Central High School, 8499 W. Forest Hill Blvd., Wellington
Forest Hill High School, 6901 Parker Ave., West Palm Beach
Park Vista High School, 7900 Jog Road, Lake Worth
Lake Shore Middle School, 425 W. Canal St. N., Belle Glade
The pet-friendly shelter is at West Boynton Recreation Center, 6000 Northtree Blvd., Lake Worth, and the special needs shelter, the location of which the county has not disclosed, will begin receiving pre-registered people at 10 a.m. Wednesday. To register, go to pbcgov.org.
Preparations for Milton should be made sooner rather than later, Town Manager Kirk Blouin said. "Should the storm speed up, slow down, change direction, those are the things that are unpredictable," he said.
The town's Public Works crews were preparing for the storm, department director Paul Brazil told the council. All storm stations were ready, emergency power was functional and crews were working long hours Tuesday to pick up any landscaping debris that might still be on the side of the road, he added.
"If there's anything out, our goal is to get it," Brazil said. "We're going to cover as much territory as we can."
Yard waste collection should be completed by Wednesday afternoon, and recycling and residential garbage pickup will be suspended on Wednesday afternoon and Thursday, the town said. Full service will begin again Friday.
The National Weather Service warned of a moderate threat of rip currents Tuesday along Palm Beach County beaches, expected to elevate to a high risk of rip currents on Wednesday, an indication that choppy seas created by Milton will have the potential for life-threatening conditions.
Palm Beach said in a Tuesday news release that these facilities will close at noon Wednesday and reopen Friday:
Town Hall
Phipps Ocean Park and Seaview Tennis Centers
Par 3 Golf Course
Mandel Recreation Center
Town Marina Office
Town beaches, to reopen Friday, weather permitting
The Al Fresco restaurant will be closed Wednesday and Thursday, the town said.
Palm Beach will send notifications about town services based on Milton's forecast track, the town said. To sign up for alerts,go to townofpalmbeach.comand click on the "Stay Connected" button under "Resident Services."
The U.S. Coast Guard requires bridges to remain closed in the down position once winds are sustained at 39 mph, the town said. The contractor in charge of the Florida Department of Transportation's drawbridges started to lock down bridges at noon Tuesday, and the bridges will remain closed to water traffic until further notice, the town said.
Throughout Palm Beach, the signs of storm preparation could be seen as some businesses and organizations closed early Tuesday and planned to remain closed Wednesday and Thursday.
Palm Beach Public Elementary School and and the private Palm Beach Day Academy are closed Wednesday and Thursday, with both hoping to reopen Friday, officials said.
At the Society of the Four Arts, which sits along the Intracoastal Waterway just north of Royal Palm Way, the gardens were closed all day Tuesday and other facilities closed at 1 p.m. The Four Arts said it will remain closed Wednesday and Thursday.
The Norton Museum of Art and the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, both in West Palm Beach, also said they would close Wednesday and Thursday with plans to reopen Friday.
At La Goulue restaurant at the intersection of Royal Palm Way and South County Road, hurricane shutters covered the windows Tuesday morning. The restaurant was open for its regular hours Tuesday, but planned to close Wednesday and Thursday, said lead host Ashley Rosario.
"As of right now, we do expect to be open on Friday," she said.
Along Worth Avenue, sandbags could be spotted in front of some stores. A sign on the window of Mary Mahoney at 336 Worth Ave. said, "In hurricane preparation. Please visit our website and email for inquiries, shop@marymahoney.com. Stay safe!"
The Worth Avenue Association and Loggerhead Marinelife Center postponed its planned Turtle Tuesday beach clean-up to 5 to 7 p.m. Oct. 15 on Palm Beach's north end, at Mediterranean Road and North Ocean Way.
Along South Ocean Boulevard, construction projects were paused at several condominiums. Crews removed scaffolding and secured large pieces of equipment. The town had not issued an order to stop construction as of Tuesday afternoon, said Wayne Bergman, director of the Planning, Zoning and Building Department.
As of Tuesday evening, the Publix store at 135 Bradley Place is open regular business hours, according to the Publix website.
This story was updated to add new information.
Kristina Webb is a reporter for Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her atkwebb@pbdailynews.com.Subscribe todaytosupport our journalism.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Hurricane Milton: Palm Beach braces for tropical storm conditions
