The Tampa Bay area hasn’t had a direct hit from a hurricane since 1921, when the population was a fraction of what it is now. But that could change on Wednesday, with potentially catastrophic results if Hurricane Milton hits the area with full force. Former National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration hurricane scientist Jess Masters says conditions in the area are a “recipe for a huge storm-surge disaster,” the Wall Street Journal reports. In 2015, risk modeling company Karen Clark & Co. found that a funnel effect created by Tampa Bay was among the factors that made the Tampa and St. Peter…