Hurricane Milton’s wind speed is currently around 75 meters per second.
Hurricane Milton was filmed on Tuesday, October 8. Milton is expected to make landfall in Florida on Wednesday night local time. ZumaWire / MVPHOTOS
In the United States, there is fear of a potentially historic storm.
Hurricane Milton is expected to hit Florida with devastating force Wednesday night. The Tampa Bay Area Weather Service is warning that Milton could turn out to be the region’s most destructive storm in more than a century.
The storm weakened to a Category 4 hurricane on Tuesday. Now it has returned to being a rare Category 5 hurricane, according to the US National Hurricane Center.
Milton’s wind speed is currently about 270 kilometers per hour, or about 75 meters per second.
NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick shared a timelapse video of Milton shot from space in X. If you don’t see the embed below, you can watch it by pressing here.
Many stations have run out of fuel
Officials have warned that even if the storm weakens, it could double in size before hitting Florida.
Traffic moved slowly near the city of Naples, Florida on Tuesday as people fled the approaching hurricane. EPA / AOP
More than 5.5 million people have been told to leave Florida’s west coast, reports The New York Times (NYT).
According to the NYT, Milton has caused one of the largest evacuation operations in Florida history.
The number of escapees can be seen at gas stations. According to CNN, about one in six gas stations in Florida has run out of fuel.
A matter of life and death
US President Joe Biden appealed to citizens under an evacuation order on Tuesday.
– It’s about life and death. This is not an exaggeration, Biden said.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has issued a state of emergency for 51 counties, reports CBS News. He has urged residents to be prepared for power outages, to get enough food and water for the week, and to leave their homes if necessary.
About 4,600 prisoners have been evacuated from under the storm.
Many gas stations are out of fuel. ZumaWire / MVPHOTOS
A meteorologist interviewed by Sky News Chris Vagasky describes Milton’s lightning strike as “amazing”. More than 58,000 flashes of lightning have occurred in Milton’s cloud wall in just 14 hours.
Georgia’s governor has proactively declared a state of emergency in the state. The hurricane is expected to make landfall in Florida, but a tropical storm could hit parts of Georgia.
The governor of the Bahamas has also issued a tropical storm warning for parts of the country, including Grand Bahama, Abaco and Bimini.
Just a couple of weeks ago, Florida was hit by Hurricane Helene. It caused at least 227 deaths. According to the BBC, hundreds of people are still missing.
– I’m still shocked by the first one and now the second round is coming, Anna Maria Island resident Evan Purcell says news agency AP.
Purcell stayed in his home during Helene’s time, but now leaves his home for Milton.
#potentially #historic #storm #approaching #Florida
