The National Hurricane Center (NHC) announced in a special warning that Storm Milton strengthened from a major tropical storm to a Category 3 hurricane early Monday, posing an increased threat to Florida's west coast.
The state is now preparing for what could be the largest mass evacuation in seven years as the huge city heads toward major population centers such as Tampa and Orlando.
“While it is too early to determine the exact scale and location of the greatest impacts, parts of the west coast of the Florida peninsula are at increased risk of life-threatening storm surge and wind damage Tuesday night and early Wednesday. ” NHC said in its forecast. discussion.
Residents board up the windows of their homes in Palm Harbor, Florida, ahead of Hurricane Milton's expected midweek landfall on October 6, 2024. (BRYAN R. SMITH/AFP via Getty Images)
NHC too warned Sunday's advisory predicts “localized rainfall totals of up to 12 inches, with 5 to 8 inches of rain expected over parts of the Florida peninsula and the Keys into Wednesday night.” The storm is currently in the Gulf of Mexico off Mexico's east coast, according to the NHC.
Milton came 10 days after Hurricane Helen made landfall and caused mass destruction in the Southeast, especially western North Carolina.
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Helen was one of the largest storms to occur in the Gulf of Mexico in the past century.
As Breitbart News reported, estimates suggest that damages could total more than $160 billion, and the death toll has not yet been finalized.
“Storm surge and hurricane watches could be issued later today or tonight,” the NHC said in Sunday's discussion. “Florida Peninsula residents should follow the advice of local officials and double check the weather forecast for updates.”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said in a post on social platform X on Sunday that he was “closely monitoring” the storm.
“We are closely monitoring Tropical Storm Milton, which has the potential to become a major hurricane,” DeSantis said in the post.
“While current estimates are for landfall to occur on Wednesday afternoon, there is still time to prepare your home, make a disaster plan, and implement plans to keep yourself and your family safe,” he added. “We mobilized state assets to supplement local governments in an unprecedented debris removal mission to areas affected by Hurricane Helen and currently in the predicted path of Milton.”
The Hurricane Center is warning people in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, the Florida Peninsula, the Florida Keys and the Bahamas to closely monitor the hurricane for potential impacts starting late Monday.
Milton's status as a hurricane marks the first time since September that three hurricanes have formed in the Atlantic at the same time, said Colorado State University hurricane scientist Phil Klotzbach of the Associated Press. report.
Four hurricanes occurred simultaneously in August and September.
