Hurricane Milton cancellation updates: Latest news on NFL, NHL, college football and more games impacted by storm

Bryan Murphy

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Hurricane Milton cancellation updates: Latest news on NFL, NHL, college football and more games impacted by storm image

Florida is bracing for what is being dubbed one of the worst hurricanes the state has ever seen — and it is already affecting the sports teams in the region. 

The Southeast just made it through Hurricane Helene, and now Florida is once again getting set to feel the impact of Hurricane Milton. What started as a tropical storm has since strengthened into a Category 5 hurricane, leading to mass evacuations in the state.

With the NFL and college football seasons underway, as well as the NHL season officially starting this week, the storm is causing changes to the schedules across a number of leagues. Milton is aimed right at the Tampa Bay area, and it is expected to impact a majority of the state. 

The Sporting News will provide the latest updates for the sports and teams affected by the storm, as well as the latest tracker for Hurricane Milton. 

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Latest news, updates on NFL, NHL, college football and more games impacted by Hurricane Milton

This section will be updated as cancellations or rescheduling happens.

NFL

Jaguars vs. Bears

The Jaguars' flight to London was delayed "slightly" by Hurricane Milton and is now scheduled for later Friday. Jacksonville typically flies to London Thursday night into Friday, and the storm forced the Jaguars to postpone a press conference at their London hotel to Saturday.

The timing of Sunday's international game between the Jaguars and Bears isn't expected to be impacted. 

Buccaneers vs. Saints

The Bucs vs. Saints game in Week 6 isn't expected to be impacted by Hurricane Milton, as the contest is scheduled to be played at Caesar SuperDome in New Orleans. However, Tampa Bay left for New Orleans earlier than normal, evacuating Florida on Tuesday morning to head to Louisiana. 

Raymond James Stadium sustained heavy flooding from Hurricane Milton. The Buccaneers are scheduled to host the Baltimore Ravens for 'Monday Night Football' in Week 7 on October 21. 

NHL

Lightning vs. Hurricanes

The Lightning are set to open up their 2024-25 NHL season against — ironically — the Hurricanes. Like the Buccaneers, the Tampa Bay hockey club left for Raleigh earlier than expected, flying to North Carolina on Monday in preparation for the game on Friday.

The game itself is not expected to be impacted by Hurricane Milton, with the contest set to be played at PNC Arena in Raleigh. 

The Lightning had their final preseason game canceled due to the hurricane. An exhibition matchup against the Predators, which was originally moved from Sept. 27 to Oct. 7 due to Hurricane Helene, was canceled on Monday. 

The Lightning begin the regular season on Friday on the road against the Hurricanes. The teams were scheduled to play a home-home on back-to-back days. While Friday's game is still scheduled, Saturday's that was to take place in Tampa has been postponed. A makeup date will be announced at a later time. 

College football

USF vs. Memphis

One of the first regular season games impacted by Hurricane Milton is the USF vs. Memphis college football contest. The matchup between the Bulls and the Tigers was originally scheduled for kickoff at night on Friday, Oct. 11, but it has since been postponed one day.

USF and Memphis will now play on Saturday, Ot. 12 at 3:30 p.m. at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. 

NBA

Heat vs. Hawks

The NBA regular season is not going to start until Oct. 22, so there should be no meaningful games impacted by Hurricanes Milton. However, the preseason already has seen some shuffling, as the exhibition matchup between the Heat and the Hawks was moved from Thursday, Oct. 10 to Wednesday, Oct. 16. The game is scheduled to be played at the Kaseya Center in Miami. 

Following suit, an exhibition game between the Magic and Pelicans that was scheduled for Oct. 11 has been canceled. The game would have been played at the Kia Center in Orlando.

MLB

There are no games being played at Tropicana Field. The Rays failed to make the postseason, leaving their home field without October baseball. That's a good thing, as the roof at the stadium sustained heavy damage from the storm.

The Rays released a statement addressing the damage on Thursday, saying they plan to "assess the true condition of Tropicana Field" in the days and weeks ahead.

General

Clips of the destruction caused by Milton are coming in early Thursday morning. The Tampa Bay Times wasn't impacted directly by the storm, but Hurricane Milton caused a nearby construction crane to fall into the building. 

Hurricane Milton path tracker

The National Hurricane Center (NHC), part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, has an interactive map that updates with the latest information on the hurricane's projected path. 

Here was the path that Milton took :

National Hurricane Center

Bryan Murphy

Bryan Murphy Photo

Bryan Murphy joined The Sporting News in 2022 as the NHL/Canada content producer. Previously he worked for NBC Sports on their national news desk reporting on breaking news for the NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL, in addition to covering the 2020 and 2022 Olympic Games. A graduate of Quinnipiac University, he spent time in college as a beat reporter covering the men’s ice hockey team.