Tropical Storm Milton: Florida is bracing for another hurricane, possibly a Category 3 hurricane

CNN
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Less than 10 days after Hurricane Helene hit Florida, the state is bracing for another potentially devastating blow from a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico that is a potential Category 3 storm.

Tropical Storm Milton formed in the western Gulf on Saturday morning, just hours after becoming a tropical depression, the National Hurricane Center said in a special warning. The 13th named storm, which has the letter M, is progressing – it typically doesn’t appear until October 25th.

Milton is expected to strengthen next week, causing life-threatening impacts on portions of Florida’s west coast. With very low vertical wind shear and incredibly warm sea surface temperatures, Milton will be able to gain steady to rapid strength over the next few days.

“The official intensity forecasts are for Milton to become a hurricane in approximately 36 hours and a major hurricane in 72 hours,” said an update from the National Hurricane Center.

The storm is expected to “intensify rapidly as it moves east-northeast across the Gulf of Mexico, reaching or near strong hurricane strength when it approaches the west coast of the Florida Peninsula midweek “said the hurricane center. It is expected to make landfall in Florida starting Saturday afternoon with strength up to Category 3 and winds of 115 miles per hour.

Major hurricanes are hurricanes of magnitude 3 or higher on the Saffir-Simpson scale. For a hurricane to become a Category 3 storm, it must have sustained winds of 111 miles per hour at its center.

Hurricane and storm surge warnings are expected to be issued for parts of the Florida coast on Sunday – dangerous storm surge is expected for some areas currently affected by Helene.

In preparation for the storm, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for 35 counties on Saturday, according to a statement from his office.

“Regardless of developments, locally heavy rainfall could occur over the next day or two in parts of Mexico and much of Florida from the end of this weekend into the middle of next week,” the NHC said.

The storm threat comes after Helene made a Category 4 landfall in Florida’s Big Bend on September 26, leaving a 500-mile path of destruction with catastrophic flooding, damaging winds and power outages. Local authorities have reported more than 200 deaths in six states and fear the number could rise.

Helene was one of the largest storms the Gulf of Mexico has experienced in the last century.

The latest storm forecast calls for widespread rainfall amounts of 4 to 6 inches across nearly the entire length of the state, from Gainesville down to Key West, with isolated higher amounts of up to 10 inches possible through Thursday. Tampa has already received more than 20 inches of rain above normal this year. Cities like Melbourne, Jacksonville, Naples and Fort Myers all have more than a foot of excess rainfall so far this year.

There is also an increasing risk of a storm surge for the western Florida peninsula late Tuesday or Wednesday. Damaging winds, tornadoes and water spouts are also possible next week.

The hurricane center is warning people in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, the Florida Peninsula, the Florida Keys and the Bahamas to closely monitor this system for any impacts this weekend and early next week.

CNN meteorologist Elisa Raffa contributed to this report.