He Hurricane Milton gained strength this Monday the 7th became a potentially catastrophic Category 5 stormthe maximum on the scale, which is moving towards the west coast of Florida and the Gulf of Mexico, reported the US Hurricane Center (NHC). In addition, it is expected to make landfall in the middle of the week in the state of Texas, where the consequences of the Helene tornado are still being felt.
The CNH indicated in an update that, according to data collected by the aerial reconnaissance squadrons, the “maximum sustained winds” increased to 257 kilometers per hour. In that way, Milton joins Beryl as the second Category 5 hurricane this year.
Photos and videos of Hurricane ‘Helene’ hitting Florida with winds of up to 175 km/h
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Before reaching Florida, which is expected between Monday and Wednesday, it is expected to brush against parts of the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, causing strong winds and a rise in water levels of up to 1.5 meters with “large and destructive waves”depending on the organization.
Considered as the second major hurricane recorded in the Gulf of Mexico in two weeksMilton is now “extremely dangerous” according to the NHC and could cause storm surge and hurricane conditions over a large area of the Yucatan Peninsula and the west coast of Florida, in this case starting Tuesday night or early morning on Wednesday.
In that sense, the eye of the hurricane was located in the morning about 240 kilometers west of the Mexican town of Progreso, according to the National Coordination of Civil Protection of Mexico. For this reason, the governor of Yucatán, Joaquín Díaz Menaurged the population to take extreme precautions and, in fact, classes were suspended in several locations.
The climate warning in Florida
Meanwhile, Milton also threatens the state of Florida, whose coast it is just over 1,100 kilometers away. In this regard, meteorologists anticipate that the hurricane will make landfall on Wednesday in Florida, where They are still trying to recover from the ravages of Hurricane Helenewhich impacted the area as a category four cyclone. Even before Milton approached that state, heavy rains and flooding were expected in urban areas that will worsen with the overflowing of rivers.
Florida emergency services are already preparing what will ben the largest evacuations since 2017 and the governor, Ron DeSantiswarned that power outages will be even greater than those caused by Helene, according to the network CNN. Along these lines, residents of the central-western coast were urged to remain attentive to evacuation orders from local authorities.
The National Weather Service in Tampa, Florida, announced that if the cyclone “continues on its current path,” It will be the worst storm to hit the area “in more than 100 years”. According to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), only forty hurricanes became so powerful. In 2022 and 2023, two category 5 hurricanes were recorded, Ian and Lee, respectively.
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Florida authorities ordered new evacuations in the region this Monday. “Whoever has the means to do so (…) should hit the road today,” they urged in a press conference specifically aimed at the populations of the Tampa metropolitan area (of about 3 million inhabitants), in the Gulf of Mexico. .
In addition to this, DeSantis stated that Milton would remain a hurricane throughout its passage through the state of Floridawhich will cross from west to east. Likewise, it expanded to 51 (out of a total of 67) the number of counties in an emergency situation in the third most populous state in the country.
Milton could bring rains of up to 25 cm to Florida (with occasional spots of up to 38 cm) that would cause havoc with flash floods in urban areasaccording to the NHC. The agency also warned that the most powerful hurricanes, Category 3 or higher, generate “devastating damage” even to solidly built houses, and that “there will be a lack of electricity and water for several days after the storm passes.”
For his part, President Joe Biden indicated in a statement that his government was preparing “life-saving resources” and called on residents to follow the instructions of local authorities to prevent themselves.
Scientists maintain that Climate change likely plays a role in rapid hurricane intensificationbecause warmer ocean surfaces release more water vapor, which gives storms more energy and consequently intensifies their winds.
The danger of Hurricane Helene debris
Helene struck the Florida coast as a Category 4 hurricane on September 26 and left a path of destruction inland to the Appalachian Mountains, bringing torrential rains and flooding. With at least 230 deaths, it became the deadliest natural disaster to hit the country since Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
“We need to clear as much debris as possible” caused by Helene because it creates a “security risk and will increase the damage Milton could cause”said DeSantis. Thus, rescuers continue working to find survivors and bring electricity and drinking water to mountain communities isolated by the storm.
The magnitude of the disaster did not prevent it from being the center of a disinformation campaign. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump accused his Democratic rival for the White House, Vice President Kamala Harris, of allocate part of the budget intended to help those affected by Helene to migrants.
MB CP
