Hurricane Milton Updates: ‘Potentially Catastrophic’ Category 5 Storm Takes Aim at Florida
As Florida continues to recover from Hurricane Helene, over 15 million people are under flood watches there and 11 million are at risk for tropical tornadoes today and tomorrow. Mandatory evacuations are underway along areas of the state’s west coast.
According to NBC news, hurricane Milton continues to grow stronger [Monday evening], clocking sustained winds of nearly 180 mph, according to the latest National Hurricane Center forecast.
“Milton is expected to grow in size and remain an extremely dangerous hurricane when it approaches the west coast of Florida on Wednesday. A large area of destructive storm surge will occur along parts of the west coast of Florida on Wednesday. This is an extremely life-threatening situation,” the National Hurricane Center wrote in its 5 p.m. ET forecast.
Milton is expected to make landfall somewhere on Florida’s west coast overnight on Wednesday and into Thursday morning.
The National Hurricane Center said Milton could strengthen more today, but that it could be beginning an eyewall replacement cycle, which will cause the storm to grow in size, but also cause wind speeds to decrease at its center.
Eyewall replacement is a typical process for hurricanes, as thunderstorms on the outside of the storm coalesce into a ring structure and then replace the old eyewall.
While winds could weaken, the potential for damage and destruction from Milton remains extreme.
“Milton has the potential to be one of the most destructive hurricanes on record for west-central Florida,” forecasters wrote.
