Hurricane Milton forces NHL’s Lightning, others to alter plans

The NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning have left Florida ahead of Hurricane Milton to practice the rest of the week in the Raleigh, North Carolina, area for their season opener at the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday night.

Milton, currently a Category 4 hurricane, is projected to make landfall in the Tampa Bay area on Wednesday night. It had maximum sustained winds of 150 mph as of 11 a.m. ET Tuesday, and forecasters warned of a storm surge as high as 15 feet in Tampa Bay, leading to evacuation orders for beach communities all along Florida’s Gulf Coast.

The Lightning’s home opener, also against Carolina, is set for Saturday night and is on as scheduled for now.

The NFL’s Buccaneers made a similar decision, deciding to travel early to New Orleans for their game against the Saints on Sunday.

At the college level, the American Athletic Conference announced that the football game between Memphis and South Florida at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa has been rescheduled from Friday night to Saturday.

South Florida is relocating its football team to Orlando later Tuesday, coach Alex Golesh said.

The conference plans to monitor conditions after Milton passes and adjust accordingly.

The LPGA postponed qualifying for its Q-Series — which had been set to start Sunday and slated to run through Oct. 18 in Venice, Florida, at Plantation Golf and Country Club — and said in a statement that the safety of athletes, caddies, staff, volunteers and the local community is the top “priority.” The LPGA will announce an update after the storm.

“Our thoughts are with the entire Florida community as we prepare for the storm,” the LPGA said.