The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are relocating to the New Orleans area ahead of Hurricane Milton’s anticipated landfall along Florida’s west coast. This strategic move aims to ensure the team can adequately prepare for their upcoming game against the New Orleans Saints.
The Buccaneers plan to depart on Tuesday, opting to spend the remainder of the week out of state instead of conducting their regular practice sessions at their training facility in Tampa.
As of Monday, Hurricane Milton has intensified into a Category 5 storm over the Gulf of Mexico, with predictions indicating it could reach the Tampa Bay area by Wednesday.
In a related development, the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning have canceled their preseason finale against the Nashville Predators, which was originally rescheduled from September 27 due to the impact of Hurricane Helene, which recently caused significant damage in the region.
The Lightning are set to kick off their regular season against Carolina on Friday, but it remains uncertain whether they will evacuate to Raleigh, North Carolina, to avoid the storm.
Meanwhile, the NBA’s Orlando Magic are on the road this week, facing the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday and the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday.
The impact of the storm extends to college athletics as well. The University of Central Florida (UCF) has announced the cancellation of all home sporting events scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, which includes a volleyball match against Colorado, a women’s soccer match against Arizona, and the opening day of the men’s tennis ITA Southeast Regionals.
Despite the cancellations, UCF has confirmed that Saturday’s Big 12 home football game against Cincinnati is still on track for a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff.
Coach Gus Malzahn stated that the Knights intend to practice on Wednesday morning before the storm’s effects are expected to arrive in the Orlando area.
“We’re trying to maintain our routine as much as possible,” Malzahn remarked. “We’ll adapt as needed. We’ve been preparing for various scenarios. The priority is ensuring the safety of our players and everyone involved in our program.”
