On Monday, as Hurricane Milton consolidated as a Level 5 storm, Floridians were hastily preparing for its arrival this week near Tampa, where it could bring high winds, life-threatening storm surge and torrential rain to the Gulf Coast for the second time this year. two weeks.
Milton has been re-rated to the most powerful storm category as it moves across the southwestern Gulf of Mexico, about 700 miles (1,183 km) from Tampa. According to the National Hurricane Center, winds of up to 155 mph (257 km/h) were experienced.
The storm is expected to turn northeast Tuesday and head toward the densely populated Tampa St. Petersburg area, making landfall Wednesday night as a Category 3 storm before quickly crossing the Florida peninsula into the Atlantic, the center said .
Milton could produce storm surges of up to 10 feet, with wind gusts of 140 mph (225 km/h) and rainfall totals of 15 inches (38 cm) in parts of the Florida coast, he added.
“It will be powerful, so please take appropriate precautions,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said at a news conference after declaring a state of emergency for 51 counties.
“It has the potential to cause a lot of damage.”
US President Joe Biden also declared a state of emergency for Florida, allowing federal operations to begin addressing disasters.
Relief efforts are already underway in the southeastern United States following the passage of Helene, a Category 4 hurricane that killed more than 200 people in six states. It was the deadliest storm to hit the U.S. mainland since Hurricane Katrina killed nearly 1,400 people in 2005.
With Milton approaching Florida, forecasts of a highly active Atlantic hurricane season are starting to look more accurate than in early September, typically the peak for named storm formation. Milton is the ninth hurricane of the season, but six have formed since September 9.
Milton is the second Atlantic storm to reach Category 5 this season, following Beryl, which in July became the first storm to reach that qualification.
This Monday, 6.5 million people, from Tallahassee to Miami, are under hurricane, storm surge and flood warnings.
Local officials issued evacuation orders for parts of several counties and planned to issue additional orders later Monday, asking residents to prepare to leave if necessary.
“If they issue an evacuation order, I implore you to leave your home,” said Kevin Guthrie, director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management.
Florida is preemptively sending trucks loaded with food, water, generators and gasoline to areas expected to be affected, as authorities prepare to set up shelters. Heavy vehicles have been deployed to clear debris from the storm and 5,000 National Guard troops are on standby, DeSantis said.
Source: Terra
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