NWS officials: Hurricane Milton remnants won’t affect Miami Valley

An LED signage truck with loudspeakers makes announcements informing residents of mandatory evacuations in preparation for Hurricane Milton on Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024, in Port Richey, Fla. (AP Photo/Mike Carlson)

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

An LED signage truck with loudspeakers makes announcements informing residents of mandatory evacuations in preparation for Hurricane Milton on Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024, in Port Richey, Fla. (AP Photo/Mike Carlson)

As Hurricane Milton prepares to hit Florida, many are wondering whether southwest Ohio will be in its path akin to Hurricane Helene at the end of September.

The National Weather Service in Wilmington’s forecast for this week involves sunny skies, high temperatures in the 70s and light winds. No heavy rain, thunderstorms or heavy gusts of wind are in sight, which means Hurricane Milton is not expected to hit the Miami Valley.

A few weeks ago, Hurricane Helene’s remnants left behind fallen trees, limbs and brush with power outages and damaged signs from storms and heavy wind gusts.

The remnants left more than 135,000 utility customers without power on Sept. 27 with some power outages extended for some areas for several days.

The NWS had issued a high wind warning for gusts between 45 and 55 mph with 50 mph wind gusts possible. Gusts were reported as high as 62 mph in Springboro and Dayton, the NWS reported.

For the first time since its launch in May, the Ohio Emergency Management Agency’s Ohio Traveler Alert System was activated by the high wind warning at the end of September.

Hurricane Helene remnants may have left their mark, but Hurricane Milton isn’t expected to affect the Miami Valley.

“A small chance of rain may return this weekend, but a drier than normal pattern is expected through at least the middle of the month,” the NWS said.

Brandon Peloquin, warning coordination meteorologist for the NWS, said weather across Ohio including the Dayton area will be dry and seasonably warm through Saturday.

“Cooler air is expected Sunday and early next week,” he said. “This type of forecast is common across the Ohio Valley for early fall.”

Staff writer Jen Balduf contributed to this report.

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