Hurricane Milton has slightly weakened to a powerful Category 4 storm as it approaches Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula on its way to Florida, where over a million residents are under evacuation orders.
“Milton is expected to remain an extremely dangerous hurricane until it makes landfall in Florida,” the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) noted in an advisory.
The heavily populated west coast of Florida, still recovering from the devastating impact of Hurricane Helene just two weeks ago, is preparing for landfall tomorrow.
A weather alert is visible on a phone as Hurricane Milton approaches.
With maximum sustained winds of 270 km/h, Milton has diminished slightly from the strongest category on the five-point Saffir-Simpson scale.
Fueled by warm Gulf of Mexico waters, Milton has become the third-fastest intensifying storm recorded in the Atlantic, according to the NHC, rapidly escalating from a tropical storm to a Category 5 hurricane within 24 hours.
Thousands are evacuating in anticipation of Hurricane Milton’s approach as it moves through the Gulf of Mexico.
Its trajectory from west to east is unusual, as hurricanes in the Gulf typically originate in the Caribbean and make landfall after moving westward and curving north.
“It is extremely rare for a hurricane to develop in the western Gulf, progress eastward, and make landfall on Florida’s western coast,” stated Jonathan Lin, an atmospheric scientist from Cornell University.
In Yucatan, Mexico, workers fortified glass doors and windows in preparation.
“This has significant implications since the storm’s path dictates where storm surges will be most severe,” he added.
The hurricane center has predicted storm surges of 3 to 4.5 meters along coastlines north and south of Tampa Bay.
NHC deputy director Jamie Rhome indicated that Milton is expected to expand in size before making landfall tomorrow, placing hundreds of kilometers of coastline in the storm surge risk zone.
Milton is likely to maintain hurricane status throughout its journey across the Florida peninsula, Mr. Rhome informed during a news briefing yesterday.
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Yucatan is experiencing heavy rainfall.
As of 1 AM local time (7 AM Irish time), the eye of the storm was located 105 km north-northeast of Progreso, a Mexican port city near the Yucatan state capital of Merida, and 840 km southwest of Tampa, moving east at a speed of 15 km/h.
While the storm’s eye seems to have passed north of the Yucatan Peninsula, dangerous conditions are still anticipated to impact the region in the early hours of this morning.
“We urge residents to heed the information provided by civil protection officials from the Mexican government and Yucatan authorities, and if you reside in low-lying areas, it is advisable to seek shelter in the facilities that have been established,” stated Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum earlier.
This area is known for the charming colonial city of Merida, which has a population of 1.2 million, along with several popular tourist Maya ruins and the port of Progreso.
In Florida, counties along the western coastline are advising residents in low-lying areas to find shelter on higher ground.
Pinellas County, which includes St. Petersburg, has ordered evacuations for over 500,000 people. Lee County reported that 416,000 residents live in mandatory evacuation zones.
At least six additional coastal counties have issued evacuation orders, including Hillsborough County, which encompasses the city of Tampa.
With just one day remaining for evacuations, local officials have expressed concerns over potential traffic congestion and long lines at fuel stations.
Relief efforts are still underway across much of the US southeast following Hurricane Helene, a Category 4 storm that made landfall in Florida on September 26, resulting in over 200 fatalities and causing billions in damages across six states.
