Milton approaches Florida as ‘extremely dangerous’ hurricane

The hurricane season is proving relentless. Following on the heels of Helene, Milton on Tuesday morning had weakened to a Category 4 storm but remains a ferocious storm that could land a once-in-a-century direct hit on Tampa and St. Petersburg. Milton is expected to make landfall in Florida as a Category 3 on Wednesday, and almost the entirety of Florida’s west coast was under a hurricane warning early Tuesday, as the storm and its 155 mph (250 kph) winds crept toward the state.

President Joe Biden postponed a planned trip to Germany and Angola to remain at the White House to monitor Hurricane Milton, which is bearing down on Florida’s Gulf Coast, the White House announced Tuesday morning.

The weather event is being described as life-threatening. “Milton is an extremely dangerous category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. While fluctuations in intensity are expected, Milton is forecast to remain an extremely dangerous hurricane through landfall in Florida,” warned the center in an update.

The Tampa Bay area has not endured a direct hit by a major hurricane in more than a century. Milton had intensified quickly Monday, becoming a Category 5 storm at midday with maximum sustained winds of 180 mph (285 kph) before being downgraded. President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration for Florida, and U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor said 7,000 federal workers were mobilized to help in one of the largest deployments of federal personnel in history. Over 12 million people are under hurricane watches and warnings, and over eight million are under tropical storm watches.

“This is the real deal here with Milton,” Tampa Mayor Jane Castor told a news conference Monday. “I can say without any dramatization whatsoever: If you choose to stay in one of those evacuation areas, you’re gonna die.” Evacuations are already underway on the west coast of Florida. Cities expected to feel the impact of Milton to some degree include Fort Myers, Miami, Orlando, Sarasota, and Tampa.

Impact in Mexico

On Monday, authorities in Mexico were alert to the potential impact of Milton in the states of Campeche, Yucatán and the north of Quintana Roo, particularly over the risk of flooding from heavy rains.

In particular, the Mexican peninsula of Yucatán had been warily observing the hurricane’s advance, although the National Civil Protection Coordination service ultimately said that the eye of the storm would not be hitting Mexico. President Claudia Sheinbaum had asked residents to remain calm and stay alert to instructions from federal and state officers.

Milton is the second hurricane to hit the Gulf of Mexico in the past two weeks, following Helene, which killed more than 230 people and is the deadliest hurricane to hit the United States since Katrina, which killed more than 1,800 people in 2005. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has declared a state of emergency in 51 of the state’s 67 counties and warned that Milton could have “significant, very significant impacts.”

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