Category 5 storm with sustained winds of 165 mph is heading toward Florida’s Gulf Coast, prompting massive evacuations

Hurricane Milton strengthened again on Tuesday, becoming a dangerous Category 5 storm again as it targeted Florida’s Gulf Coast, still reeling from the record-breaking landfall of Helene just over a week ago.

The storm’s maximum sustained winds had strengthened to 165 mph, pushing it back into Category 5, the National Hurricane Center said in its bulletin at 8 p.m. ET, warning of “life-threatening storm surge and winds” for “parts Florida’s Gulf Coast” warned.

“Fluctuations in intensity are likely as Milton moves over the eastern Gulf of Mexico,” the National Hurricane Center said in its update, “but Milton is expected to become a dangerous major hurricane as it reaches the central west coast of Florida. “

The center of the storm is expected to make landfall in the Tampa area late Wednesday or early Thursday morning and move east-northeast over central Florida on Thursday.

There is a state of emergency in 51 counties across the state and millions are facing evacuation.

At a news conference Tuesday morning, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis stressed that while wind speeds have slowed, Milton is “still a major hurricane” and has the potential to strengthen again before making landfall.

“Even if it weakens, you’re still dealing with a major hurricane,” DeSantis said. “It’s going to have a really, really significant impact.”

If it stays on its current path, Milton could be the worst storm to hit the Tampa area in over 100 years.

The storm is one of only 40 hurricanes on record to have escalated to Category 5 in the Atlantic and one of seven hurricanes to go from Category 1 to Category 5 in 24 hours or less. Officials at the Federal Emergency Management Agency described Milton as the third-fastest growing storm ever in the Atlantic during a call with reporters Monday afternoon, behind Hurricanes Wilma (2005) and Felix (2007).

Where is Hurricane Milton and what path is it taking?

As of Tuesday, 5:00 p.m. ET:

• Milton was about 320 miles west-southwest of the Dry Tortugas.

• It was about 480 miles southwest of Tampa.

• The storm had maximum sustained winds of 165 miles per hour.

• The storm was moving east-northeast at a speed of 9 miles per hour.

The NHC warned this morning that “a large area of ​​destructive storm surge” would occur along parts of Florida’s west coast.

“This is an extremely life-threatening situation and residents in these areas should follow the advice of local authorities and evacuate immediately if ordered to do so,” the hurricane center said.

Parts of the Florida Peninsula and Florida Keys are expected to see 5 to 10 inches of rainfall through Wednesday night, with localized rainfall totals of up to 15 inches. Such rains pose “the risk of significant flash flooding, urban and regional flooding, as well as the possibility of moderate to severe river flooding,” forecasters said.

Meanwhile, parts of the northern Yucatán Peninsula can expect 5 to 10 centimeters of rainfall.

Clocks and Alerts

Starting Tuesday, 5 p.m. ET, a Hurricane warning applies to:

• Florida’s west coast from Bonita Beach north to the Suwannee River, including Tampa Bay

• Florida’s east coast from the St. Lucie/Martin County Line north to Ponte Vedra Beach

A “hurricane warning” means that hurricane conditions are expected in the area. Precautions and preparations for people and property should be completed.

A Hurricane watch applies to:

• Florida’s West Coast, from Chokoloskee to south of Bonita Beach

• Rio Lagartos to Cabo Catoche

• Dry Tortugas

• Lake Okeechobee

A “hurricane warning” means that hurricane conditions are possible in the areas and is typically issued 48 hours before the expected hurricane.

A Tropical Storm Warning applies to:

• Dzilam to Cancun, Mexico

• All Florida Keys including Dry Tortugas and Florida Bay

• Lake Okeechobee

• Florida’s West Coast, from Flamingo to south of Bonita Beach

• Florida’s west coast from north of the mouth of the Suwanee River to Indian Pass

• Florida’s east coast south of the Indian River/St. Lucie County Line to Flamingo

• Florida’s east coast north from Ponte Vedra Beach to Altamaha Sound, Georgia.

• Far northwest of the Bahamas, including Grand Bahama Island, Abacos and Bimini

A “Tropical Storm Warning” means that areas are expected to experience tropical storm conditions within the next 36 hours.

A Tropical storm watch applies to:

• Georgia and South Carolina coast, north from St. Mary’s River to South Santee River in South Carolina

• Far northwest of the Bahamas, including Grand Bahama Island, Abacos and Bimini

A “tropical storm watch” means tropical storm conditions are possible in areas over the next 48 hours.

A Storm surge warning applies to:

• The west coast of Florida from Flamingo to Suwannee River, including Tampa Bay and Charlotte Harbor

• The east coast of Florida from Sebastian Inlet, Florida, to Altamaha Sound, Georgia, including the St. Johns River

A “storm surge warning” means there is a risk of life-threatening flooding over the next 36 hours.

A Storm surge watch applies to:

• South from Port Canaveral to Sebastian Inlet, Florida.

• Mouth of the St. Mary’s River to Edisto Beach

A “storm surge watch” means there is a possibility of life-threatening flooding.

Evacuation orders

As of Tuesday afternoon, the Florida Division of Emergency Management had ordered mandatory evacuations for people living in evacuation zones in 13 Florida counties and voluntary evacuations for seven others.

DeSantis urged residents to follow evacuation orders but emphasized that they do not need to travel far to be safe.

“You don’t have to evacuate hundreds of miles,” DeSantis said at a news conference Monday. “If you are in areas that are prone to storm surge, go to areas that are not prone to it. There are places you can go in every county. Maybe it’s a friend’s house, maybe it’s a hotel, maybe it’s a place to stay.”

Mandatory evacuations apply to:

• Charlotte County

• Citrus County

• Collier County

• Hernando County

• Hillsborough County

• Lee County

• Levy County

• Manatee County

• Pasco County

• Pinellas County

• Sarasota County

• St. John’s County

• Volusia County

Voluntary evacuations apply to:

• Dixie County

• Hardee County

• Glades County

• Lake County

• Miami-Dade County

• Okeechobee County

• Union County

To find out if you live in an evacuation zone, click here.

Milton arrives days after Helene

Hurricane Milton comes just over a week after Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region as a monstrous Category 4 storm, causing at least 20 deaths in Florida alone.

During a press briefing Monday afternoon, FEMA noted that the organization will not yet redirect personnel already working in areas affected by Hurricane Helene to Milton’s route.

After making landfall with winds of 140 miles per hour, Helene moved inland across the southeast, leaving more than 200 dead and widespread destruction. After the storm, Florida’s infrastructure and emergency services were overwhelmed.

Read more from Yahoo News: Helene shows that in the age of climate change, hurricanes don’t just destroy coastlines

Active hurricane season

Hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, but the peak of increased activity is usually from August to October. According to NOAA, a “typical” Atlantic hurricane season will typically see about 14 named storms, “of which seven become hurricanes and three become major hurricanes.”

As of early October, eight hurricanes have formed in the Atlantic – Milton is the 13th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season. As CNN notes, hurricane season is moving faster than expected. Normally, the 13th storm of the season would not hit until October 25th at the earliest.

Last week, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas warned that FEMA does not have the resources to get through the season. President Biden said last week that Congress may need to pass additional spending legislation in the next few months to fund states’ recovery efforts.