Category 5 Hurricane Milton was predicted to intensify on Tuesday as it approached the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. More than a million people in Florida were told to evacuate ahead of its arrival.
The heavily populated west coast of Florida prepared for landfall on Wednesday. Residents were still in shock after Hurricane Helene’s devastation less than two weeks ago.
According to forecasts by the U.S. National Hurricane Center, the storm was expected to make landfall close to the Tampa Bay metropolitan region, which is home to over 3 million people. As evacuees were preparing to leave, some of them hurried to dispose of the debris mounds left behind by Hurricane Helene.
On the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale, Milton was classified as the strongest level storm with maximum sustained winds of 165 mph (270 kph).
By the time it reaches Florida, wind speeds might drop to 145 mph (233 kph), according to the hurricane center. Even so, it would still be a Category 4 storm, which means it will cause catastrophic damage and possibly even days-long power disruptions.
Milton rapidly developed from a tropical storm into a Category 5 hurricane in less than a day, propelled by warm seas in the Gulf of Mexico. According to the Hurricane Center, it is now the third-fastest storm to intensify in Atlantic history.
Its odd west-to-east path was especially noteworthy. Normally, Gulf hurricanes originate in the Caribbean Sea, move west, then turn north before making landfall.
According to Cornell University atmospheric scientist Jonathan Lin, “It is exceedingly rare for a hurricane to form in the western Gulf, track eastward, and make landfall on the western coast of Florida. This has big implications since the track of the storm plays a role in determining where the storm surge will be the largest.”
Storm surges of 10 to 15 feet (3 to 4.5 meters) were predicted by the Hurricane Center over a section of shoreline north and south of Tampa Bay.
The National Hurricane Center’s deputy director, Jamie Rhome, stated that Milton was predicted to intensify before reaching landfall on Wednesday. He warned that hundreds of miles of coastline faced danger from storm surges.
Milton was likely to remain a hurricane during its whole voyage across the Florida peninsula, Rhome told a Monday news briefing.
As of Monday, October 10, 2010 (0300 GMT on Tuesday), the storm’s center was 35 miles (60 km) north-northwest of Progreso, a Mexican port near Merida, the capital of Yucatan state. It was also located 630 miles (1,015 km) southwest of Tampa. It was traveling east at 9 mph (15 kph).
Early on Tuesday, Milton was predicted to batter the Yucatan Peninsula’s northern tip.
The region is home to the port of Progreso, some well-known Maya ruins, and the 1.2 million-person charming colonial-era city of Merida.
Counties along Florida’s western coast issued orders for residents living in low-lying areas to move to higher land.
Pinellas County, which includes St. Petersburg, said it ordered the evacuation of more than 500,000 people. 416,000 individuals were estimated to reside in Lee County’s mandatory evacuation zones. Hillsborough County, which encompasses the city of Tampa, was among the minimum of six other coastal counties that issued evacuation orders.
Tuesday was the last day for residents to evacuate, and local officials expressed concern about road congestion and long lineups at gas stations.
Relief efforts continued throughout much of the U.S. Southeast in the wake of Helene, a Category-4 hurricane that made landfall in Florida on Sept. 26. The hurricane killed more than 200 people and left billions of dollars in damage across six states.
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