The National Hurricane Center officially declared that 'Milton' is now forming into a dangerous Category 5 Hurricane with winds of 180 miles per hour (MPH). This is the strongest hurricane ever recorded in America. The cyclonic storm has intensified rapidly in the Gulf of Mexico and is making its way east toward the United States of Florida as it's expected to land on October 9 (Wednesday night).
Florida was recently hit by Hurricane Helene and is still in recovery mode, as 15 million people are under flood watch there, and 11 million are at risk for tropical tornadoes tomorrow and Wednesday; the state administration ordered mandatory evacuations.ย
Florida's Hillsborough County sheriff's office shared a helicopter video and warned residents about traffic congestion as residents of the western coast of the state move north ahead of Hurricane Milton's landfall. The office said the Hurricane may hit Tampa Bay and other parts of the Gulf Coast.
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"Sheriff Chad Chronister is asking everyone to take immediate action as ๐๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐จ๐ซ๐๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ง๐จ๐ฐ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐๐๐๐๐ญ. Please prioritize the safety of your family and head to a safe location now," Hillsborough Country sheriff said in a tweet.
However, experts expect the cyclonic storm may weaken slightly ahead of landfall in Florida, though it could retain hurricane strength as it churns across central Florida toward the Atlantic Ocean. Forecasters predicted that the storm would bring flooding in the Tampa Bay region with 8- to 12-foot, which is the highest ever in history. The storm could also bring widespread flooding, with 13 to 25 centimetres of rain forecast for mainland Florida and the Keys.
โMilton has the potential to be one of the most destructive hurricanes on record for west-central Florida,โ the National Hurricane Center said in its 5 p.m. ET update.
Hurricane Miltonย to Landfallย in Floria With Wind Speed of 180 mph Miles Per Hour
To stay alert for Hurricane Milton, one can track the cyclonic storm in real-time using satellite technology on Windy.com. Windy provides a live map of the storm's movement and helps predict when and where it will make landfall. Check the latest updates on Milton's progress using Windy's live map tracker.