Days After Getting Battered by Hurricane Helene, Florida Holds Its Breath for Incoming Hurricane Milton

For the second time in two weeks, Florida is in the path of a major hurricane. Hurricane Milton became a Category 5 storm in a matter of hours on Monday and started barreling towards the state, with forecasters warning the public that the storm posed an “extreme threat” and urging them to follow the orders of local officials.

Hurricane Milton. The National Weather Service, or NWS, said that Milton had maximum sustained winds of 180 mph on Monday, although forecasters expect the storm’s strength to vary by the time it makes landfall in Florida’s Tampa Bay region on Wednesday.

“The bottom line is we expect Milton to be a large and powerful hurricane at landfall in Florida, with life-threatening hazards along the Gulf Coast of Florida and well inland,” the NWS said.

Forecasters say that storm surge in Tampa Bay and other affected areas is expected to reach between 10 to 15 feet. In addition, Hurricane Milton could drop between 10 to 15 inches of rainfall across portions of the Florida Peninsula.

Experts use the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale to measure the intensity of hurricanes. Hurricanes with a Category 3 and higher are considered major storms, while hurricane with a Category 5, the highest level, indicate that catastrophic damage will occur, including the destruction of homes and power outages.

A century without a direct hit. As reported by the Associated Press, the center of Hurricane Milton is expected to hit the Tampa Bay region, which has not experienced a direct hit from a hurricane in more than a century. The last time it happened was in 1921, and the city was very different at the time.

Over the years, its population has grown from a few hundred thousand in the 1920s to more than 3 million, according to Statista. It is the fifth largest-growing metro area in the U.S. Kerry Emanuel, an MIT meteorologist, told the AP in an interview that Tampa is the “black swan” for weather experts.

“It’s a huge population. It’s very exposed, very inexperienced and that’s a losing proposition,” Emanuel said. “I always thought Tampa would be the city to worry about most.”

Hurricane Milton and climate change. Like with Hurricane Helene before it, experts say that the extremely warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico, which are at a record high for this time of year, played a key role in the development of Hurricane Milton. Warm water increases the strength of storms.

Daniel Gilford, a meteorologist at Climate Central, a nonprofit research group, told CNN warming from the burning of fossil fuels is making the threat of huge storms more common.

“Climate change clearly warmed the Gulf waters that fueled Milton’s development, likely supercharging its rapid intensification and making this hurricane much more dangerous,” Gilford said.

Florida responds. County officials around the state urged residents to evacuate, with Gov. Ron DeSantis suspending tolls on some roads to help people get out. Drivers jammed highways on Monday evening as the news spread, according to CNN, and some gas stations ran out of fuel.

“You should have a plan and you should be executing your plan,” DeSantis said, as reported by CNN. “You do have time to get out. So please do it. Please execute that plan now—at this point—if you are in one of those danger zones.”

Local officials echoed the governor’s warning, stressing that those who didn’t evacuate put first responders in danger.

“If you remain there, you could die, and my men and women could die trying to rescue you,” Jason Dougherty, the fire chief for Hillsborough County, which includes Tampa, said.

On the national level, President Joe Biden issued an emergency declaration for Florida, a designation that allows the state to receive federal support from FEMA, including personnel and funds for evacuation and sheltering.

The shadow of Helene. The destruction from Hurricane Helene isn’t making preparing for Hurricane Milton any easier. Hurricane Helene left piles of debris in its path and clearing it out is critical to prevent it from turning into projectiles. However, Florida officials haven’t had much time.

“You get hit with a major hurricane, what’s going to happen to that debris? It’s going to increase the damage dramatically,” DeSantis said.

State officials are working around the clock to clean up debris before Milton makes impact, with the governor assigning 4,000 National Guard troops to assist in the task.

Image | NOAA

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