The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are making preparations to relocate to the New Orleans area in anticipation of Hurricane Milton's expected landfall along Florida's west coast. The team plans to travel on Tuesday and spend the week out of state, deviating from their usual practice routine at their Tampa training facility.
Hurricane Milton intensified into a Category 5 storm over the Gulf of Mexico on Monday and is forecasted to potentially hit the Tampa Bay area on Wednesday. In response to the impending weather conditions, the NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning had to cancel their Monday night preseason game against the Nashville Predators. This game had already been rescheduled from September 27 due to the impact of Hurricane Helene, which caused significant damage in the region two weeks ago.
As for the Lightning's upcoming regular-season opener against Carolina on Friday, there has been no immediate decision regarding a potential evacuation to Raleigh, North Carolina, ahead of the storm.
Meanwhile, the NBA's Orlando Magic are currently on the road, playing games in New Orleans on Monday night and in San Antonio on Wednesday. College sports are also feeling the effects of the weather, with UCF in Orlando announcing the cancellation of all home athletics events scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday. This includes a volleyball match against Colorado, a women's soccer match against Arizona, and the first day of the men's tennis ITA Southeast Regionals.
Despite the cancellations, UCF's Big 12 home football game against Cincinnati on Saturday is still set for a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff. Coach Gus Malzahn stated that the team plans to practice on Wednesday morning before the storm's anticipated arrival in the Orlando area. Malzahn emphasized the importance of maintaining the team's routine while ensuring the well-being of all individuals associated with the program.
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