Hurricane Milton has made landfall in Florida, with US officials warning that “life-threatening storm surge, high winds and flash flooding” are occurring in parts of the central and southern state.
The storm’s arrival comes two weeks after Hurricane Helene wreaked havoc in the southeastern US.
When did Hurricane Milton hit Florida?
Milton made landfall in Siesta Key, Florida – a coastal community south of Tampa – around 20:30 EST Wednesday (03:30 BST Thursday), according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).
More than 2 million homes and businesses were left without power, dozens of homes were destroyed, and the number of dead has yet to be reported.
Forecasters continue to warn of heavy rain, flash floods, strong winds and possible storm surges – which occur when water enters the country from the coast – several feet in height.
Hurricanes were also reported as Milton arrived.
Where is Hurricane Milton headed?
With wind gusts of up to 90mph (150km/h) recently recorded, Milton will continue to batter Florida as it moves through the center of the state. It has been affecting Georgia and South Carolina.
After that it is expected to enter the Atlantic Ocean later in the day.
On its multi-day journey, Milton tracked east from the Gulf of Mexico, where it was described as a Category 1 storm on Sunday. It also brushed the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico.
Before striking Florida, the sorcerer said it “wobbled” to the south, leading forecasters to slightly alter its track.
This storm is hitting some of the areas that were recently devastated by Hurricane Helene. Tampa, with more than three million people in its metropolitan area, is north of Siesta Key, where the storm hit.
Where are the evacuation zones for Hurricane Milton?
Traffic jams formed and airports announced closures as Floridians were told to prepare for the largest evacuation effort in years. Officials said Milton could be the worst hurricane to hit the area in over a century.
As the storm approached, many states were in a state of emergency, and evacuations were ordered up and down Florida’s west coast.
Disaster management authorities have been released list and map of exit orders. Several large shelters were prepared as a final destination for those trapped.
What is a hurricane and how does it form?
Hurricanes – sometimes known as hurricanes or typhoons – are a type of tropical storm that forms in the North Atlantic. They bring strong winds and heavy rain.
When the ocean air is warm and moist, it rises, and then begins to cool – causing clouds to form.
Sometimes this rising air can move away from the top of the storm faster than it can be replaced aloft, causing the surface pressure to drop.
Falling pressure causes winds to accelerate with more air and then be pulled inward as the storm strengthens.
The National Oceanic Atmospheric Association (Noaa) has predicted that the 2024 hurricane season will be more active than usual. Rising ocean temperatures due to human-caused climate change are to blame, he said.
How are hurricanes classified?
Hurricanes are divided into five categories according to their wind speed.
Milton has been described more than once as a category five hurricane – the highest – but weakened as it neared the US coast, making landfall as a category three storm.
After the fall, it was relegated to the first category.
How is climate change involved?
Hurricane Milton quickly gained strength as it moved through unusually warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico, where sea temperatures were about 1-2C above average.
Warmer water means storms can pack more energy, which can lead to higher wind speeds.
A warmer climate can hold more moisture – up to about 7% for every 1C of temperature increase. This means that rain from storms can be very heavy.
And sea levels around the world have been rising in recent decades, largely due to global warming.
This makes it more likely that a given storm surge will result in coastal flooding.
In Florida, sea levels have risen more than 7in (18cm) since 1970, according to US government data.
A full scientific analysis will be needed to quantify the exact role of climate change in Hurricane Milton.
But its rapid intensification is consistent with expectations of how these storms evolve in the tropical world.
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