Hurricane Milton - Storm Updates

10/10/2024

Thursday, October 10, 2024 1:00 PM Eastern Update:

The hurricane nets have each suspended operations as the focus shifts from response to recovery. 

More information to come via ARRL News and in The ARRL Letter. 

Thursday, October 10, 2024 9:30 AM Eastern Update:

Amateur radio operators are in service across the State of Florida. The Florida SARNET has been placed in a restricted net condition to ensure traffic can flow as needed. The net is limited for agency/EOC and emergency traffic only. ARRL member-volunteers are serving with the state emergency operations center, as well in local shelters and county EOCs across the state.

The Hurricane Watch Net is Active on 14.325.00 MHz (USB) and 7.268.00 MHz (LSB), and the VoIP Hurricane Net is active until at least Thursday afternoon.

Hurricane Milton made landfall on Florida's west coast at 8:30 Wednesday night as a Category 3 hurricane. The storm moved ashore with life-threatening storm surge, powerful winds, and flooding rains.

The National Hurricane Center reports the center of the storm is pulling away from the Florida’s east coast with 85 mile per hour winds and heavy rainfall. More than 3 million residents are without power.

Wednesday, October 9, 2024 1:30 PM Eastern Update:

Amateur radio operators are in service across the State of Florida ahead of Hurricane Milton's landfall.

The Hurricane Watch Net is active on 14.325.00 MHz (USB) and 7.268.00 MHz (LSB). The VoIP Hurricane Net is active on *WX_TALK* Echolink conference node: 7203/IRLP 9219 system and other VoIP radio systems via the KC5FM-R node is supporting WX4NHC, the amateur radio station at the National Hurricane Center in Miami Florida. 

The Florida SARNET has been placed in a restricted net condition to ensure traffic can flow as needed. The net is limited for for agency/EOC and emergency traffic only.

ARRL member-volunteers are serving with the state emergency operations center, as well in local shelters and county EOCs across the state. 

National Hurricane Center reports that Hurricane Milton's wind speeds have slightly decreased, but it remains a Category 5 storm now 170 miles southwest of Tampa, Florida at 17 miles per hour.

Tuesday, October 8, 2024 3:45 PM Eastern Update:

Winlink officials are requesting that all non-essential Winlink traffic (weekly nets, testing, etc.) be postponed until after hurricane Milton has moved on and response efforts have turned to recovery.

"There is still a lot of traffic in the aftermath of Helene, and we expect Milton will add significantly to that. We need to keep the gateways clear for that traffic," they asked in an email. 

Winlink is a system that allows for emails to be sent over a hybrid amateur radio/internet network. It is used extensively in emergency communications and disaster recovery. 

Tuesday, October 8, 2024 12:00 PM Eastern Update: 

The following information was received from the Hurricane Watch Net:

The Hurricane Watch Net will Activate this afternoon for Hurricane Milton as planned. There is one minor change. Due to the timing and location of Hurricane Milton, we will operate until 11:00 PM EDT (0300 UTC). Once we’ve read the latest Advisory on Milton, we will suspend operations until 8:00 AM EDT (1200 UTC) at which time we will resume operations on 14.325.00 MHz. We will resume operations on 7.268.00 MHz at 8:30 AM EDT (1230 UTC) or at the conclusion of the Waterway Net. The remainder of our plans remain unchanged. 

Activation Plans:

Tuesday, October 8  –  (Line Up Reporting Stations, EOCs, Storm Shelters)

·       20 meters: 14.325 MHz (USB) at 5:00 PM EDT (2100 UTC) until 11:00 PM EDT (0300 UTC).

·       40 meters: 7.268 MHz (LSB) at 5:00 PM EDT (2100 UTC) until 11:00 PM EDT (0300 UTC). 

Wednesday, October 9  —  (Landfall Day)

       20 meters: we will resume operations on 14.325 MHz at 8:00 AM EDT (1200 UTC) and remain active until we lose propagation at night.

       40 meters: we will resume operations on 7.268 MHz at 8:30 AM EDT (1230 UTC). We will remain active on this frequency throughout the day and overnight for as long as propagation allows. If propagation allows us to operate all night, we will suspend operations at 7:30 AM EDT Thursday to allow the Waterway Net to conduct their daily Net. 

Thursday, October 10  —  (Post Storm Reports, Emergency Traffic, Health & Welfare Traffic)

·       20 meters: we will resume operations on 14.325 MHz at 7:00 AM EDT (1100 UTC).

·       40 meters: we will resume operations on 7.268 MHz at 8:30 AM EDT (1230 UTC). 

Any change to these plans will be posted here, our website, www.hwn.org, and our social media pages. 

Overnight, Milton completed an eyewall replacement cycle. The storm is once again intensifying. How strong will this storm become windwise? Let’s not let that be our focus. A real danger we must consider is going to extreme Storm Surge!

As a reminder, once Hurricane Milton has exited the state into the Atlantic, the Hurricane Watch Net will remain active on both frequencies, listed above, to assist with Emergency Traffic, Health & Welfare Traffic with assistance from SATERN, and to collect and forward post-storm reports to the National Hurricane Center. We will remain active until our services are no longer required.

To all official agencies such as Emergency Operations Centers, Red Cross officials, and Storm Shelters in the affected area, we are available to provide backup communications. We also collect and forward significant damage assessment data to government and non-government officials requesting such.

We greatly appreciate the daily users and various nets who use 14.325.00 MHz and 7.268.00 MHz for allowing us a clear frequency. It certainly makes our job easier and I know those in the affected area appreciate it as well. 

Sunday, October 6, 2024 9:00 PM Eastern Update:

Hurricane Milton was located just over 300 miles west-northeast of Progreso, Mexico, and 835 miles west-southwest of Tampa, Florida with winds of 100 miles per hour. Hurricane Milton was moving in an east-southeast direction at 6 mph and is forecasted to arrive near Tampa, Florida on Wednesday as at least a Category 3.

The Hurricane Watch Net is making tentative plans to activate on Tuesday afternoon for Hurricane Milton. The current forecast, issued at 5:00 PM EDT Sunday is calling for Milton to become a powerful Category 4 Hurricane with sustained winds of 145 miles per hour. This is the same strength Helene was at landfall a week ago. Additionally, Milton is expected to be at least a Cat 2 Hurricane after crossing Florida and entering the Atlantic Ocean. Those in Bermuda need to keep a close eye on Milton as this storm could possibly affect the island on Saturday. 

Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) Tentative Activation Plans:

Tuesday (Line Up Reporting Stations, EOCs, Storm Shelters)

·       20 meters: 14.325 MHz (USB) at 5:00 PM EDT (2100 UTC) until we lose propagation at night.

·       40 meters: 7.268 MHz (LSB) at 5:00 PM EDT (2100 UTC). We will remain active on this frequency throughout the day and overnight for as long as propagation allows. If propagation allows us to operate all night, we will suspend operations at 7:30 AM EDT Wednesday to allow the Waterway Net to conduct their daily Net. 

Wednesday (Landfall Day)

·       20 meters: we will resume operations on 14.325 MHz at 7:00 AM EDT (1100 UTC) and remain active until we lose propagation at night.

·       40 meters: we will resume operations on 7.268 MHz at 8:30 AM EDT (1230 UTC). We will remain active on this frequency throughout the day and overnight for as long as propagation allows. If propagation allows us to operate all night, we will suspend operations at 7:30 AM EDT Thursday to allow the Waterway Net to conduct their daily Net. 

Thursday (Post Storm Reports, Emergency Traffic, Health & Welfare Traffic.

·       20 meters: we will resume operations on 14.325 MHz at 7:00 AM EDT (1100 UTC).

·       40 meters: we will resume operations on 7.268 MHz at 8:30 AM EDT (1230 UTC). 

Any change to these plans will be posted on  www.hwn.org, and the HWN social media pages. 

As with any Net Activation, if you are to be in the affected area of Milton, please take all necessary precautions to protect your family and yourself! If are in a position to safely do so, we would love to have check in with us and provide your observed weather information. While we greatly appreciate measured data, we gladly accept estimated weather data as well. We relay that data to the National Hurricane Center in Miami. This information is extremely important to the forecasters as it gives them more information as to what the storm is or is not doing. It also helps them to provide a more accurate forecast!

On Sunday October 6, 2024, at 700 AM CDT (1200 UTC), the center of Tropical Storm Milton was located by NOAA Hurricane Hunter aircraft near latitude 22.6 North, longitude 94.9 West. Milton has been moving slowly eastward  overnight, and an eastward to east-northeastward motion is forecast during the next couple of days, followed by a faster northeastward motion.

On the forecast track, Milton is forecast to move across the Gulf of Mexico and approach the west coast of the Florida Peninsula by midweek.

Maximum sustained winds have increased to near 60 miles per hour (MPH) with higher gusts. Steady to rapid strengthening is forecast during the next few days.

Milton could become a major hurricane while it moves across the central and eastern Gulf of Mexico. Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 35 miles from the center.

Rainfall amounts of 5 to 8 inches, with localized totals up to 12 inches, are expected across portions of the Florida Peninsula and the Keys through Wednesday night. This rainfall brings he risk of flash, urban, and areal flooding, along with minor to moderate river flooding.

In addition to Milton, the NHC is also watching Hurricane Kirk and Hurricane Leslie, strong storms that could have additional impact in the Gulf of Mexico and the west coast of Florida.

Amateur radio operators will also be ready as these storms move quickly towards landfall.