Super Typhoon “Milton” has been downgraded to a Category 4 hurricane, with maximum sustained winds of 155 miles per hour (about 250 kilometers per hour), and is heading towards Florida. Over one million people in the area have already been evacuated.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center predicts that Hurricane “Milton” will make landfall on the west coast of Florida on Wednesday, passing through the densely populated Tampa Bay metropolitan area, where over 3 million people reside.
As “Milton” approaches Florida, the wind speed is expected to decrease to 145 miles per hour (approximately 233 kilometers per hour), but could still cause catastrophic damage, including prolonged power outages.
Deputy director of the Hurricane Center, Jamie Rhome, stated that the impact zone of “Milton” prior to its Wednesday landfall is expanding, with storm surges expected to cover hundreds of miles of coastline. When the hurricane reaches the northern and southern coastlines of Tampa Bay, the storm surge waves could reach 10 to 15 feet (3 to 4.5 meters). Rhome mentioned that “Milton” is likely to maintain its hurricane strength while crossing the Florida peninsula.
Florida has begun evacuating residents in low-lying areas along the west coast, with Pinellas County ordering the evacuation of over 500,000 people, and Lee County evacuating around 416,000 people. At least six other counties are also undergoing evacuations, including the city of Tampa in Hillsborough County.
Tuesday marked the final day of evacuations, with some evacuees hastily dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane “Helene”, which hit Florida two weeks ago. Officials expressed concerns about traffic jams and long lines at gas stations.
Due to being nourished by the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, “Milton” rapidly intensified from a tropical storm to a Category 5 hurricane in less than 24 hours, making it the third quickest intensifying storm in Atlantic records. As a result, the Hurricane Center assessed that the intensity of this hurricane may be stronger than recent devastating Hurricane “Helene” in the southeastern United States.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis stated that due to the uncertainty of the storm’s path, authorities will undertake widespread evacuations. He emphasized, “We must assume that this will be a giant storm.”
Jonathan Lin, a meteorologist from Cornell University, noted that hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico typically form in the Caribbean Sea, then move west before turning north to make landfall. However, Hurricane “Milton” is following an unusual eastward path – a rare occurrence. Lin pointed out, “The formation of Hurricane ‘Milton’ in the western Gulf of Mexico, moving eastward and eventually making landfall on the west coast of Florida, is highly unusual. This will have serious implications.”