Water levels fluctuated across Tampa Bay on Wednesday. According to
observations from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), water levels at the East Bay gauge near downtown Tampa were more than 5 feet below normal levels around 11 p.m. ET—a nearly 4-foot reverse in the span of less than two hours.
The shoreline in St. Petersburg was over 2 feet below normal levels around 11 p.m. ET Wednesday as well. In Clearwater, water levels dropped 3 feet below normal levels around 8:12 p.m. ET, just before Milton was making landfall roughly 70 miles south. By 11 p.m. ET, waters in Clearwater were on the rise and clocked at just 1 1/2 feet from normal levels.