Hurricane Milton is already the second-strongest Gulf Coast hurricane in recorded history, behind Hurricane Rita, and experts predict it will intensify further as the Category 5 storm hurtles toward Florida.
The National Hurricane Center's (NHC) report Monday night said Milton's minimum central pressure (one of the main ways meteorologists measure hurricane strength, with lower ratings indicating higher intensity) It was rated at 897 mbar.
This makes the storm the second-strongest hurricane to form in the Gulf of Mexico in recorded history, second only to 2005's devastating Hurricane Rita, which bottomed out at 895 megabytes.
But Milton still has a full day before it is expected to make landfall Wednesday, and Fox Weather meteorologists predicted the storm could become even stronger.
Milton's winds are currently blowing at 180 mph toward the center of Tampa Bay, and Fox Weather hurricane expert Brian Narcross said the conditions could result in storm surges of up to 15 feet and “the largest storm surge in history. “It could become one of those hurricane disasters,” he said. lowland town.
Below is a comparison of Milton to other strongest Gulf Coast hurricanes in history.
Hurricane Rita, 2005 — 895 mb
On September 24, 2005, Hurricane Rita hit the Louisiana coastline as a Category 3 storm with winds of 115 miles per hour.
Three days earlier, it peaked in the Gulf of Mexico as a Category 5 storm with winds of 180 mph and set a Gulf of Mexico pressure record of 895 millibars, according to the National Weather Service.
The storm's strength decreased as it approached the coast, but it still produced storm surges of up to 18 feet in places.
Only seven people died as a direct result of the storm, but more than 100 people were reported to have died as a result of the storm's aftereffects, evacuations, and subsequent infrastructure incidents.
No. 3 Hurricane Allen, 1988 — 899 mb
Hurricane Allen reached a peak intensity of 899 megabytes on August 7, 1988, with winds of 190 miles per hour.
Over the next three days, it thankfully weakened and made landfall on August 10th at 115 miles per hour and 945 megabytes.
Although the storm surge was only 5 feet high, Allen spawned an unusual number of tornadoes across Texas, injuring more than 20 people.
In the United States, the storm directly killed two people, but indirectly killed more than 30 people.
Hurricane Camille No. 4, 1969 — 900 MB
Hurricane Camille is one of only four Category 5 storms to make landfall in the United States in recorded history.
When it struck Mississippi on August 17, 1969, it had wind speeds of 150 miles per hour and atmospheric pressure of 900 megabytes.
The storm caused widespread damage, with strong winds destroying buildings and heavy rainfall across the interior of the United States, causing severe flooding.
At least 256 people died directly related to the storm.
Hurricane Katrina, 2005 — 902 mb
Hurricane Katrina reached its peak intensity on August 28, 2005, with Category 5 winds of 175 mph and gusts of 902 mb.
Although it weakened to a Category 3 storm by the time it made landfall in Louisiana on August 29, the rainwater it brought with it overwhelmed New Orleans' levees, causing them to burst, flooding the city, and causing massive loss of life. Katrina became the deadliest city in the United States. The greatest hurricane in recorded history.
At least 1,392 people died in the storm, with some estimates saying the death toll could be much higher.
