US
Hurricane Milton: What we know so far about the storm that has forced millions to evacuate in the US and Mexico
Hurricane Milton is set to make landfall in the US just days after Hurricane Helene caused more than 200 deaths and widespread devastation across several states.
But what do we know about the hurricane so far and what does it mean for people in its path?
Where is the hurricane now and when will it hit the US?
Milton is currently heading towards the US at 9mph (14kph) and is sucking energy from the Gulf of Mexico’s warm water.
It is expected to have winds of up to 129mph when it hits the shores in the Tampa Bay area on Florida’s west coast on Wednesday.
A sculpture of Poseidon stands in the ocean before the arrival of Hurricane Milton in Progreso, Yucatan state, Mexico. Pic: AP
The region, home to more than three million people, has not experienced a direct hit by a major hurricane in more than a century.
The storm is also threatening Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, where more than one million people have been ordered to evacuate.
Hurricane Milton on 7 October. Pic: Reuters/CSU/CIRA & NOAA
On the upside, scientists expect Milton to weaken slightly before landfall, and its path through central Florida will spare the states devastated by Helene less than two weeks ago.
What is the storm surge warning?
As of Tuesday morning, Tampa Bay is under both a hurricane warning and a storm surge warning, as the National Hurricane Center (NHC) forecasts that it could be inundated with surges between three to four metres.
The NHC said that peak storm surge levels would be between the Anclote River and Englewood, a stretch of about 100 miles that includes Tampa and various islands and keys.
“The combination of a dangerous storm surge and the tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline,” an update said.
What measures are being taken to protect residents?
Hundreds of thousands of residents in communities along the western Gulf Coast were subject to evacuation orders.
In Florida, this means that first responders are not expected to risk their lives during a storm to rescue anyone who chooses to stay.
“If you remain there, you could die, and my men and women could die trying to rescue you,” Hillsborough Fire Rescue Chief Jason Dougherty said.
Hurricane Milton’s path
In a press conference this afternoon, Governor Ron DeSantis said authorities is amassing up to 1.2 millions fuel reserves, and are assisting ensuring critical infrastructure – including hospitals and waste water treatment centres – have flood protection systems.
There was significant traffic congestion on Monday as Tampa Bay residents escaped to safer areas in the north towards the Florida Panhandle or southeast to Fort Lauderdale and Miami.
President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration for Florida, and US Representative Kathy Castor said 7,000 federal workers were on hand to help in one of the largest mobilisations of federal personnel in history.
“This is the real deal here with Milton,” Tampa Mayor Jane Castor told a news conference on Monday. “If you want to take on Mother Nature, she wins 100% of the time.”
Meanwhile, Mexican officials were using buses to evacuate people from low-lying towns and cities.
How powerful is Hurricane Milton?
Milton was downgraded to a Category 4 hurricane earlier this morning, but the NHC said it still posed “an extremely serious threat to Florida”.
Governor Ron DeSantis was a “really significant” hurricane in this afternoon’s press conference.
The storm intensified quickly on Monday, becoming a Category 5 storm in the afternoon with maximum sustained winds of 180 mph (285 kph) before being downgraded.
A view of near-empty shelves of bread at a Walmart as Hurricane Milton approaches, in Tampa, Florida. Pic: Reuters
Sandbags are distributed to Pinellas County residents before the expected arrival of Milton, in Seminole, Florida. Pic: Reuters
The strongest Atlantic hurricane on record is Allen in 1980, which reached wind speeds of 190 mph (306 kph) as it moved through the Caribbean and Gulf before striking Texas and Mexico.
Milton became the third-fastest intensifying storm on record in the Atlantic Ocean, the US National Hurricane Centre said, and its path from west to east was also unusual, as Gulf hurricanes typically form in the Caribbean Sea and make landfall after traveling west and turning north.
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Hasn’t the US just had a hurricane?
Yes, the area Hurricane Milton is forecast to hit was already devastated by Hurricane Helene just 12 days ago.
Helene, which also affected Georgia, North and South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and Kentucky, killed at least 230 people and caused devastating flooding and destruction.