Hurricane Milton, which had weakened to a Category 4 early Tuesday, rebounded back to Category 5 strength in the afternoon, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami. Raj Mathai, Chris Chmura and Jeff Ranieri report.
Hurricane Milton remains a ferocious storm that could land a once-in-a-century direct hit on Tampa and St. Petersburg, engulfing the populous region with towering storm surges and turning debris from Helene’s devastation 12 days ago into projectiles.
While the storm had previously weakened, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said Tuesday Hurricane Milton was once again a Category 5 storm.
What time will Hurricane Milton hit Florida?
Milton is expected to make landfall on Florida's central Gulf coast late Wednesday or early Thursday.
“We must be prepared for a major, major impact to the west coast of Florida,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday.
As of late Tuesday afternoon, the storm was about 480 miles (775 kilometers) southwest of Tampa with sustained winds of 165 mph (270 kph).
President Joe Biden, who postponed an overseas trip so he could remain at the White House to monitor Milton, warned that it “could be one of the worst storms in 100 years to hit Florida."
With the storm expected to remain fairly strong as it crosses Florida, hurricane warnings were extended early Tuesday to parts of the state’s east coast.
How bad is damage expected to be?
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Florida's Gulf Coast is especially vulnerable to storm surge.
Helene came ashore about 150 miles (240 kilometers) north of Tampa in the Florida Panhandle and still managed to cause drowning deaths in the Tampa area due to surges that were about 5 to 8 feet (1.5 to 2.5 meters) above normal tide levels.
With Milton, forecasters warn of a possible 10- to 15-foot (3- to 4.5-meter) storm surge in Tampa Bay. It is the highest surge ever predicted for that location and has led to evacuation orders for communities all along the coast.
The county that’s home to Tampa ordered areas adjacent to the bay and all mobile and manufactured homes to be evacuated by Tuesday night. With a predicted storm surge that could swallow a single-story house, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor issued increasingly dire warnings Tuesday to those planning to ride out the storm: “So if you’re in it, basically that’s the coffin that you’re in."
Milton is forecast to cross central Florida and dump as much as 18 inches (46 centimeters) of rain while heading toward the Atlantic Ocean, according to the hurricane center.
How was Mexico affected?
As Milton made it's way toward Florida, authorities in the Mexican state of Yucatan reported only minor storm damage. Power lines, light poles and trees were knocked down near the coast, and some small thatched-roof structures were destroyed, according to Yucatan Gov. Joaquín Díaz. He did not report any deaths or injuries.
What if I have travel plans to Florida?
Tampa International Airport said it halted flights Tuesday morning, posting on X that it is not a shelter for people or their cars. And nearby St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport said it is in a mandatory evacuation zone and would close after the last flight leaves Tuesday.
The tourism machine in Orlando, about 84 miles (135 kilometers) inland from Tampa, started grinding to a halt Tuesday. Orlando International Airport — the nation’s seventh busiest and Florida’s most trafficked — said it would cease operations Wednesday morning. And at least three major theme parks — Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando and SeaWorld — will close, with the latter two also remaining closed on Thursday and Disney likely to follow suit.
Why are scientists saying this is a weird storm season?
Milton is just the latest system in a storm season that scientists say is the weirdest they’ve ever seen.
Forecasters were predicting a busy Atlantic hurricane season before it started, and it began when Beryl became the earliest storm on record to reach Category 5 status. But from Aug. 20 — the traditional start of peak hurricane season — to Sept. 23 it was record quiet, said Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach.
Then, five hurricanes popped up between Sept. 26 and Oct. 6, more than double the old record of two. On Sunday and Monday, there were three hurricanes in October at the same time, which had never happened before, Klotzbach said. In just 46.5 hours, Hurricane Milton went from forming as a tropical storm with 40 mph winds to a top-of-the-charts Category 5 hurricane.
With hurricanes disrupting the lives of millions in the U.S., some might wonder if it's possible to control extreme weather events. But scientists say hurricanes are far too powerful for that, and climate change is providing more fuel than ever for storms like Helene and Milton.
What causes a hurricane?
Hurricanes often start as tropical waves that combine with warm ocean waters, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. They may also be fueled by thunderstorms. The weather system moves west as warm ocean air rises into it, and that creates a low pressure area underneath it, NOAA said. Air rises and cools, and that forms clouds and thunderstorms.
Hurricanes have maximum sustained winds — the highest one-minute average wind speed at a particular point in time — of 74 mph (120 kph) or higher. If a tropical cyclone has maximum sustained winds between 39 and 73 mph (63 kph to 120 kph), it is called a tropical storm. If maximum sustained winds are less than 39 mph, it is called a tropical depression.
Hurricanes typically occur during hurricane season, which in the Atlantic basin occurs each year from June 1 to Nov. 30.
What are the different hurricane categories?
The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale rates hurricanes from one to five. Category 1 hurricanes range from 74 to 95 mph and can bring very dangerous winds that can damage even sturdy houses. Category 1 is the weakest hurricane, and the storms strengthen up the scale from there.
If a hurricane is Category 3 or higher, it is considered a major hurricane. Category 3 hurricanes start with maximum sustained winds of 111 mph (180 kph).
How serious is a Category 5 hurricane?
Catastrophic. A Category 5 hurricane destroys houses, cuts power to vast areas and isolates communities due to downed trees and fallen utility poles. It can also cause critical damage to infrastructure like roads, bridges and dams. A Category 5 hurricane has the ability to render large areas uninhabitable for weeks or longer.
What is storm surge?
Storm surge is the level at which sea water rises above its normal level.
Much like the way a storm’s sustained winds do not include the potential for even stronger gusts, storm surge doesn’t include the wave height above the mean water level of the surge itself.
Surge is also the amount above what the normal tide is at the time, so a 15-foot (5-meter) storm surge at high tide with 10-foot (3-meter) waves on top of that can level buildings with ease, knock down bridges and flatten anything in its path.
What kind of destruction do hurricanes cause?
The toll of damage from a hurricane depends on its strength and where it makes landfall. Even a relatively weak hurricane can cause major damage and many deaths if it hits a vulnerable community or damages a key piece of infrastructure. A mid-strength hurricane such as 2004's Hurricane Jeanne in Florida will cause devastating damage to homes, infrastructure and the power grid. Deaths also commonly occur because of flooding, accidents, injuries and other disturbances caused by the storm.
What was the deadliest hurricane in the US?
The 1900 Galveston hurricane in Texas is the deadliest natural disaster in U.S. history, according to NOAA and other authorities. The storm killed at least 8,000 people, destroyed thousands of buildings and left hundreds of millions of dollars in damage by today's standards. Other extraordinarily deadly hurricanes in recent history have included Hurricane Maria, which killed more than 3,000 people in 2017, and Hurricane Katrina, which killed more than 1,300 in 2005.
