Hurricane Milton: What we know so far about the storm that has forced millions to evacuate in the US and Mexico

Published

9 months ago

October 9, 2024

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Hurricane Milton is set to make landfall in the US as a Category 5 storm, just days after Hurricane Helene caused more than 200 deaths and widespread devastation across several states.

Millions are facing the possibility of being evacuated as the storm swirls towards the US mainland – and is expected to roar into Florida later today.

The fire service said “if you remain there, you could die”, while there have been warnings that debris caused by Hurricane Helene could be picked up and turned into projectiles in the strong winds.

The storm was downgraded to a category 4 on Tuesday but later reclassified again as category 5 – the strongest category available.

Category 5 storms mean wind speeds greater than 156 mph, which are expected to cause “catastrophic damage”.

What else 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 12mph (19kph) 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, and has already sustained maximum winds of 180mph (285kph).

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.

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 high.

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.

In a news conference this afternoon, Governor Ron DeSantis said the authorities are amassing up to 1.2 million fuel reserves and are ensuring that critical infrastructure – including hospitals and waste water treatment centres – have flood protection systems.

“We’ve never had this many resources prior to a storm,” he said.

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”.

Mr DeSantis described it as a “really significant” hurricane.

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.

The strongest Atlantic hurricane on record is Allen in 1980, which reached wind speeds of 190mph (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.

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.

Helene is also set to have a massive effect on Milton – Florida residents are scrambling to clear debris of the initial storm, as it could turn into projectiles when Hurricane Milton makes landfall, Sky’s US partner network NBC News reports.

What if I have travel plans in Florida?

Tampa International Airport said it planned to stop flights at 9am local time on Tuesday. The airport posted on X that it is not a shelter for people or their cars.

Meanwhile, St Pete-Clearwater International Airport said it is in a mandatory evacuation zone and will close after the last flight leaves on Tuesday.

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Trump’s USAID cuts could lead to 14 million deaths, report warns

Published

7 hours ago

July 1, 2025

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Trump's USAID cuts could lead to 14 million deaths, report warns

Around 14 million people could die across the world over the next five years because of cuts to the US Agency for International Development (USAID), researchers have warned.

Children under five are expected to make up around a third (4.5 million) of the mortalities, according to a study published in The Lancet medical journal.

Estimates showed that “unless the abrupt funding cuts announced and implemented in the first half of 2025 are reversed, a staggering number of avoidable deaths could occur by 2030”.

“Beyond causing millions of avoidable deaths – particularly among the most vulnerable – these cuts risk reversing decades of progress in health and socioeconomic development in LMICs [low and middle-income countries],” the report said.

USAID programmes have prevented the deaths of more than 91 million people, around a third of them among children, the study suggests.

The agency’s work has been linked to a 65% fall in deaths from HIV/AIDS, or 25.5 million people.

Eight million deaths from malaria, more than half the total, around 11 million from diarrheal diseases and nearly five million from tuberculosis (TB), have also been prevented.

USAID has been vital in improving global health, “especially in LMICs, particularly African nations,” according to the report.

Established in 1961, the agency was tasked with providing humanitarian assistance and helping economic growth in developing countries, especially those deemed strategic to Washington.

But the Trump administration has made little secret of its antipathy towards the agency, which became an early victim of cuts carried out by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) – formerly led by Elon Musk – in what the US government said was part of a broader plan to remove wasteful spending.

In March, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said more than 80% of USAID schemes had been closed following a six-week review, leaving around 1,000 active.

The US is the world’s largest humanitarian aid donor, providing around $61bn (£44bn) in foreign assistance last year, according to government data, or at least 38% of the total, and USAID is the world’s leading donor for humanitarian and development aid, the report said.

Between 2017 and 2020, the agency responded to more than 240 natural disasters and crises worldwide – and in 2016 it sent food assistance to more than 53 million people across 47 countries.

The study assessed all-age and all-cause mortality rates in 133 countries and territories, including all those classified as low and middle-income, supported by USAID from 2001 to 2021.

World

Thai PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra suspended amid outrage over leaked phone call

Published

10 hours ago

July 1, 2025

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Thai PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra suspended amid outrage over leaked phone call

Thailand’s prime minister has been suspended after a leaked phone call with a senior Cambodian politician caused outrage.

An ethics investigation into Paetongtarn Shinawatra is under way and she could end up being dismissed.

The country’s constitutional court took up a petition from 36 senators, who claimed dishonesty and a breach of ethical standards, and voted 7 to 2 to suspend her.

The prime minister’s call with Cambodia’s former leader, Hun Sen, sparked public protests after she tried to appease him and criticised a Thai army commander – a taboo move in a country where the military is extremely influential.

Ms Shinawatra was trying to defuse mounting tensions at the border – which in May resulted in the death of one Cambodian soldier.

Thousands of conservative, nationalist protesters held a demo in Bangkok on Saturday to urge her to step down.

Her party is clinging on to power after another group withdrew from their alliance a few weeks ago over the phone call. Calls for a no-confidence vote are likely.

Deputy prime minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit will take over temporarily while the court looks into the case.

The 38-year-old prime minister – Thailand‘s youngest ever leader – has 15 days to respond to the probe. She has apologised and said her approach in the call was a negotiating tactic.

The popularity of her government has slumped recently, with an opinion poll showing an approval rating of 9.2%, down from 30.9% in March.

Ms Shinawatra comes from a wealthy dynasty synonymous with Thai politics.

Her father Thaksin Shinawatra – a former Manchester City owner – and aunt Yingluck Shinawatra served as prime minister before her – in the early to mid 2000s – and their time in office also ended ignominiously amid corruption charges and military coups.

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Benjamin Netanyahu to meet Donald Trump next week amid calls for Gaza ceasefire

Published

16 hours ago

July 1, 2025

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Benjamin Netanyahu to meet Donald Trump next week amid calls for Gaza ceasefire

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be meeting Donald Trump next Monday, according to US officials.

The visit on 7 July comes after Mr Trump suggested it was possible a ceasefire in Gaza could be reached within a week.

On Sunday, he wrote on social media: “MAKE THE DEAL IN GAZA. GET THE HOSTAGES BACK!!!”

At least 60 people killed across Gaza on Monday, in what turned out to be some of the heaviest attacks in weeks.

According to the Hamas-run health ministry, 56,500 people have been killed in the 20-month war.

The visit by Mr Netanyahu to Washington has not been formally announced and the officials who said it would be going ahead spoke on condition of anonymity.

An Israeli official in Washington also confirmed the meeting next Monday.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the administration was in constant communication with the Israeli government.

She said Mr Trump viewed ending the war in Gaza and returning remaining hostages held by Hamas as a top priority.

The war in Gaza broke out in retaliation for Hamas’ 7 October 2023 attacks on southern Israel that killed 1,200 people and saw a further 250 taken hostage.

An eight-week ceasefire was reached in the final days of Joe Biden’s US presidency, but Israel resumed the war in March after trying to get Hamas to accept new terms on next steps.

Talks between Israel and Hamas have stalled over whether the war should end as part of any ceasefire.