Milton became a hurricane this afternoon (Oct. 6, 2024) with a "steady and rapid strengthening" forecast over the next few days, the USA Today website reports.
It rolled through the Gulf of Mexico on a track that imperils areas of the Florida Peninsula, still recovering from the devastation of Hurricane Helene.
Milton's winds reached 80 mph with "steady and rapid strengthening" forecast over the next few days, the National Hurricane Center said. A major hurricane means a Category 3 storm, which drives winds of 111 to 129 mph.
Fla. Gov. Ron DeSantis today expanded a state of emergency to 16 more counties, meaning 51 of Florida's 67 counties are now part of the directive.
The first inundation estimates for Milton show a likely storm surge in locations along Florida's west coast from south of Cedar Key to Everglades City.
Ryan Truchelut, chief meteorologist for Weather Tiger, says Helene and Milton are likely to go down as among the most devastating one--two punches ever to hit Florida.
No comments:
Post a Comment