Two weeks ago, Hurricane Helene “spared” the Tampa Bay region a direct hit and yet storm surge still caused catastrophic damage, flooding homes, drowning people who decided to stay near the coast and leaving massive piles of debris that still sit along roadsides.

As Hurricane Milton intensified on its path toward Florida's Gulf Coast, the strength of the system increased the severity of the storm surge forecast.

As Hurricane Milton approaches landfall in Florida this week, the National Hurricane Center is releasing a series of data sets to help warn the public of the risks. Storm surge is one of the deadliest aspects of a strong hurricane as it approaches land.