While storm Milton returned to category 5 on the Saffir-Simpson scale, the highest, NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick shared a photo of the latter on his X account on Tuesday.
NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick caused a stir on social media by posting images of Hurricane Milton from the Crew Dragon capsule as part of International Space Station Expedition 72.
“We flew over Hurricane Milton about 90 minutes ago. This is the view from the window of Dragon Endeavor. Expect lots of images from this porthole, because this is where I sleep while waiting for undocking and return to Earth,” he wrote on X.
Hurricane Milton continues to approach Florida in its maximum category on Wednesday, where it is expected to make landfall overnight, which could be “the worst storm” to hit this peninsula “in a century” according to Joe Biden. The latter returned this Tuesday to category 5 on the Saffir-Simpson scale, the highest, after having been demoted for a time to category 4.
Up to 260 km/h
This Wednesday morning, the storm was located 485 km southwest of Tampa, a city on the west coast of Florida, with sustained winds reaching 260 km/h, according to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC).
“You must evacuate now, it is a question of life or death,” the American president warned the inhabitants of the third most populous state in the country.
Milton’s arrival comes as Florida has already faced the passage of Hurricane Helene, which left at least 235 dead in the southeast of the United States. Climate change makes rapid intensification of storms more likely and increases the risk of more powerful hurricanes by warming sea and ocean waters, scientists say.
