Hurricane Milton is now a Category 5 storm as it approaches Florida
Global News
Florida is gearing up for what could be its biggest evacuation in seven years as Hurricane Milton heads toward population centers including Tampa and Orlando.
Hurricane Milton strengthened to a Category 5 storm on Monday just an hour before lunch time local time, as Florida ramps up efforts for potentially its biggest evacuation in seven years – just days after the significant impact of the hurricane Helene.
Hurricane Milton reached maximum sustained winds of 160 mph (250 kph) about 715 miles southwest of Tampa in the Gulf of Mexico shortly before noon Eastern, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. Hurricane watches are in place for a large portion of Florida, and the storm heading towards major population centres including Tampa and Orlando.
The storm-ravaged Gulf Coast in Florida was expected to hit less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene struck. While forecast models vary widely, the most likely path suggests Milton could make landfall Wednesday in the Tampa Bay area and remain a hurricane as it moves across central Florida into the Atlantic Ocean.
That would largely spare other southeastern states ravaged by Helene, which caused catastrophic damage from Florida into the Appalachian Mountains and a death toll that rose Sunday to at least 230 people.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said in an update on Monday that the storm has progressed slower than projections which could pushback landfall, but even if there may be slight delays, it does not decrease the urgency for people to prepare.
He said eight to 12-foot storm surge is possible for Northern Pinellas County down to Charlotte, including Tampa Bay, with a five to 10 foot storm surge potential in other parts of the state.
“We’re talking about storm surge values higher than the ceiling,” Kevin Guthrie, executive director of the Florida division of emergency management, said. “Please, if you’re in the Tampa Bay area, you need to evacuate if they have called for your evacuation order. I beg you. I implore you to evacuate. Drowning deaths due to storm surge are 100 per cent preventable if you leave.”
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