Hurricane Milton forces Bucs and Lightning to leave Florida early and other teams to alter games

The NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers and NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning have left Florida ahead of Hurricane Milton to practice the rest of the week.

The Bucs departed Tuesday, relocating to New Orleans, where they'll face the Saints on Sunday. The Lightning left for Raleigh, North Carolina, on Monday night to continue preparations for their season opener against the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday night.

Milton, currently a Category 5 hurricane, is projected to make landfall in the Tampa Bay area on Wednesday night.

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