Hurricane Milton gains strength again and returns to Category 5

Hurricane Milton has regained strength and has reached Category 5.

The storm continues to pose a serious danger to Florida, where its potentially historic impact will cause destructive and life-threatening storm surge, widespread wind damage, flooding and tornadoes beginning Wednesday.

“Milton has the potential to be one of the most destructive hurricanes on record in west-central Florida,” the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in its forecast Tuesday night.

The authorities have reaffirmed that all preparations must be completed by Tuesday and, those in an area prone to storm surge should evacuate if ordered.

This is a serious situation and the NHC predicts a storm surge up to 10 to 15 feet above ground level along the west coast of Florida, including the Tampa Bay area, if the maximum storm surge caused by the hurricane occurs during high tide.

The center of the hurricane is 440 miles southwest of Tampa. It is a category 5 and has winds of 165 mph at 8 pm EDT and is moving in an east-northeast direction at 10 mph.

Milton has grown in size over the last 24 hourswith tropical storm-force winds now reaching up to 140 miles from its center. It will continue to grow even more as it approaches Florida, meaning its impacts will affect a large area.

According to the NHC’s forecast trajectory, the center of Milton will move today and tomorrow across the eastern Gulf of Mexico and “make landfall along the west-central coast of Florida on Wednesday night,” before crossing the peninsula and go out to the Atlantic.

Although fluctuations in intensity are expected, it is predicted that Milton “will remain a dangerous major hurricane when it lands on the central west coast” and leave on Thursday into Atlantic waters, they warned.

Hurricane warnings cover much of central Florida, from the Gulf side to the Atlantic sideincluding the Tampa Bay area, Fort Myers, Orlando, Cape Canaveral and Daytona Beach.

This means that hurricane conditions (sustained winds of 74 mph or greater) are expected within the warning area generally within 36 hours, or in this case starting Wednesday afternoon until early Thursday morning.

There is great concern about the storm surge that Milton could cause in Tampa Baybetween 10 and 15 feet tall (3 to 4.5 meters). Tropical storm-force winds could reach the Tampa Bay area as soon as on Wednesday morning.

“Devastating winds” are also expected along parts of the west coast of Florida, where a hurricane warning is in effect. The forecast from NHC meteorologists is that Milton “will remain a hurricane as it crosses the Florida peninsula.”

They insisted on highlighting the importance of “preparations to protect life and property.” must be completed by tonight at the latestin addition to be ready for “long-duration power outages.”

The heavy rains that Milton will dump across the Florida peninsula through Thursday will carry “the risk of catastrophic flash and urban flooding,” especially in areas where coastal and inland flooding combine.

The president of the United States, Joe Bidenwarned this Tuesday that Hurricane Milton could be the “worst” to hit the state of Florida in a century and asked people in the path of the storm to evacuate as soon as possible.

For his part, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said this afternoon in a press conference that residents have a short amount of time left to execute their evacuation plans before Hurricane Milton makes landfall, probably this Wednesday. the night.

“They should be executing their plan now. If you are going to leave, leave now,” DeSantis urged the population residing in the areas most exposed to Milton’s onslaught.

Florida, still trying to recover from the damage from Hurricane Helene, continues to prepare for the largest evacuation since 2017 due to the threat of Miltonwhich will cross almost the entire state from west to east.

Keep reading:
• DeSantis urges evacuation before Hurricane Milton arrives in Florida
• “If they stay, they are going to die”: the emergency in Florida before the arrival of dangerous Hurricane Milton
• What time will Hurricane Milton make landfall in Florida?