Monster hurricane Milton threatens an already battered Florida
Hurricane Milton, now classified as a Category 5 storm, is intensifying as it approaches Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula and aims for Florida’s west coast, where over a million residents have been ordered to evacuate. The storm is expected to make landfall on Wednesday, with Tampa Bay—home to more than 3 million people—projected as the likely impact zone.
With maximum sustained winds reaching 165 miles per hour, Milton is among the strongest hurricanes recorded in the Atlantic, having escalated from a tropical storm to its current status in less than 24 hours. The U.S. National Hurricane Center warns that wind speeds could diminish to 145 mph by landfall, still classifying it as a catastrophic Category 4 storm.
The unique trajectory of Milton has raised alarms among meteorologists, as it is rare for hurricanes to form in the western Gulf and track eastward toward Florida. “This unusual path will significantly affect storm surge patterns,” noted Jonathan Lin, an atmospheric scientist at Cornell University. The Hurricane Center forecasts storm surges of 10 to 15 feet along affected areas north and south of Tampa Bay.
As of late Monday night, the storm was located 35 miles north-northwest of Progreso, Mexico, and 630 miles southwest of Tampa, moving east at 9 mph. It is expected to strike the northern Yucatan Peninsula early Tuesday, impacting regions popular with tourists, including the colonial city of Merida.
In Florida, emergency orders have been issued for coastal counties, with Pinellas County evacuating over 500,000 residents and Lee County ordering evacuations for 416,000. Other counties, including Hillsborough, are also seeing mandatory evacuations as officials warn of potential traffic snarls and gas shortages.
Milton’s impending arrival comes on the heels of Hurricane Helene, which devastated parts of Florida just weeks prior, claiming over 200 lives and causing billions in damage. Local authorities are urging residents to evacuate promptly as relief efforts continue in areas still recovering from Helene’s impact.
As Florida prepares for Milton, residents are urged to heed evacuation orders and take necessary precautions ahead of the storm’s arrival.
