With highways backed up for miles out of southwest Florida and airports closing early, Hurricane Milton is already impacting the state before even making landfall. As the storm barrels toward Florida’s west coast, with expected landfall Wednesday night or early Thursday morning, evacuation orders are in place. A state of emergency has been declared across 35 counties as of Oct. 5.

Thousands of Floridians have fled southwest Florida already, with major gridlocks occurring on I-75 as people continue to evacuate. The National Hurricane Center predicts the peak storm surge from Anclote River to Tampa Bay could be as high as 10–15 feet. Since Oct. 9 morning, more than 1,700 flights have been cancelled.

As of Oct. 8, Tampa International Airport suspended operations and will remain closed to the public until damage after the storm has been assessed. St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport also closed Oct. 8 and remains closed Oct. 9 and 10. Sarasota Bradenton International Airport closes at 4 p.m. on Oct. 9, while operations at Orlando Executive Airport halt at 10 p.m. on Oct. 9. Additionally, Orlando International Airport will cease operations Oct. 10 at 8 a.m.

Other airports closing for the hurricane include Lakeland Linder International Airport and Southwest Florida International Airport. Airports open as of Oct. 9 include Miami International Airport, Jacksonville International Airport, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and Palm Beach International Airport.

In wake of the impending storm, airlines across the country implemented flight alerts for customers who planned to fly in or out of Floridian airports. American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, JetBlue, United Airlines and Spirit Airlines issued flight waivers through Oct. 10.

Cruise lines also sent out advisories, with lines like Carnival Cruise Line and Margaritaville at Sea modifying itineraries. Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Reflection altered its trip, replacing a stop in Key West with Nassau on Oct. 9. Royal Caribbean International saw multiple itineraries impacted and already notified passengers. Other cruises impacted include MSC Cruises, Virgin Voyages and Disney Cruise Line.

Florida’s theme parks, like Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando Resort, continue to remain open, but are closely monitoring the storm. SeaWorld Orlando and Aquatica Orlando also remain open, but Aquatica’s sister property, Discovery Cove Orlando, offered to reschedule trips to another date. Busch Gardens Tampa Bay will remain closed Oct. 9 and 10.

Third-party hotel and vacation rental platforms like Expedia, Hotels.com and Vrbo issued travel waivers and emergency policies for travelers whose trips will be impacted by the storm.

Will Hurricane Milton affect you? For Florida residents, have you evacuated? For travelers to Florida, have your plans changed? Tell us your thoughts. Email us at letters@globaltravelerusa.com. Please include your full name and location.