Hurricane Milton, which rapidly intensified, becoming the fourth most powerful Atlantic hurricane ever observed, now threatens the Florida Peninsula. As Governor Ron DeSantis extended a state of emergency to 51 counties, people are bracing for another disaster. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) warns that Milton, with sustained winds of 150 mph, could hit the west coast of Florida by Thursday (French time).
A worrying trajectory
Milton, which has been strengthening with impressive speed in the superheated waters of the Gulf of Mexico, poses a major threat to Florida’s coastal regions. Tuesday midday, the storm was located off the coast of Yucatan (Mexico), with winds exceeding 240 km/h. The NHC forecasts a turn towards the northeast in the coming hours. On Wednesday evening (local time), Milton could hit the west coast of Florida, near the region already hit hard by Hurricane Helene. Due to the current track, storm advance warnings and warnings have been issued for several areas of Florida and Mexico. These areas should be particularly vigilant against the risk of storm surge, flash floods and massive flooding.
Hurricane Milton’s path © NOAA
Preparations in Florida
Recognizing the growing risks, Governor Ron DeSantis took preventative action by expanding the state of emergency to 16 new counties. Now, 51 of the state’s 67 counties are affected by this state of emergency, allowing local authorities to mobilize the necessary resources to protect residents. “A major hurricane is the most likely outcome,” DeSantis said, emphasizing the severity of the situation. In addition to a hurricane and tropical storm pre-warning, a storm surge pre-warning has also been issued for the Florida Gulf Coast, particularly around Tampa and Charlotte bays, which could be particularly affected by waves destructive.
Wind Gusts Under Hurricane Milton © The Weather Channel
Winds of more than 200 km/h and a storm surge of more than 4 meters
The hurricane is expected on the west coast of Florida near Tampa Bay in the middle of the night from Wednesday to Thursday (local time) or Thursday morning for us in France. At the time of its arrival, it should be category 3, still a major hurricane. Winds will exceed 200 km/h on the coast and will be between 100 and 170 km/h inland. The hurricane will cross the entire peninsula and in its path, cumulative rainfall will be between 200 and 250 mm, over a central strip of Florida. Significant flooding is feared and will be worsened by the storm surge on the coast. The latter, due to low pressure and waves, could exceed 4 meters.
Totals expected during Hurricane Milton © The Weather Channel
The trajectory of this hurricane is very different from theouragan Helenebut certain coastal regions had nevertheless already been impacted two weeks ago. Some uncertainties remain about the strength of this hurricane which could reach category 3 or 4 on the coast of Florida.
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