In a sudden transformation Monday, Hurricane Milton had rapidly intensified into a Category 4, before reaching an astonishing Category 5 strength.
The update comes from the National Hurricane Center’s 11:55 p.m. advisory, which places Milton about 125 miles west of Progreso, Mexico, and about 735 miles southwest of Tampa. It underwent what forecasters call a “remarkable” intensification as it went from being a tropical storm to a Category 4 in only a number of hours.
Continuing on its path eastward towards Florida, Milton’s maximum sustained winds have increased to a whopping 175 mph. This makes it the strongest hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico since Rita in 2005. Read on for what that means and what to know.
What is a Category 5 hurricane?
The National Hurricane Center marks hurricanes on a scale from 1 to 5, also known as the Saffir-Simpson scale. This indicates the intensity of a hurricane’s sustained wind speed and potential for damage, with Category 3 hurricanes considered major because of their potential for significant loss of life and damage.
The Saffir-Simpson scale describes a Category 5, the highest classification, as:
“Winds 157 mph or higher (137 kt or higher or 252 km/hr or higher). Catastrophic damage will occur: A high percentage of framed homes will be destroyed, with total roof failure and wall collapse. Fallen trees and power poles will isolate residential areas. Power outages will last for weeks to possibly months. Most of the area will be uninhabitable for weeks or months. The Keys Hurricane of 1935 and Andrew of 1992 made landfall in South Florida as Category Five hurricanes.”
Where is Hurricane Milton headed to in Florida?
The storm is forecast to make landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast, more specifically in or near the Tampa Bay area, on Wednesday. More than 50 of Florida’s counties are under a state of emergency and there are a number of evacuation warnings across the state, such as Lee, Charlotte, Hillsborough and Manatee counties. You can view all evacuation orders here.
While Milton is currently at Category 5 strength and forecast to remain “extremely dangerous” for the next couple of days, some weakening is expected before the hurricane reaches the peninsula. Still, the potential for life-threatening storm surge, devastating winds, flooding rain and potential tornadoes remains. Rainfall is also expected to total 5 to 10 inches in some areas of Florida.
Continue to listen to local officials and have a plan ready as the storm approaches. You can find all the latest updates on Hurricane Milton at hurricanes.gov and visit ready.gov/hurricanes for more on hurricane preparedness and safety.
Please continue to stay safe, Florida!