Tropical Storm Milton is expected to become a major hurricane before it makes landfall on the Florida Peninsula Wednesday, possibly hitting Tampa Bay—less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene moved through Florida and caused devastating flooding across parts of the Southeastern U.S.
Relief aid sits at a distribution center early morning in Burnsville, North Carolina, October 5, ... [+]
Milton is expected to “quickly intensify” as it moves northeast across the Gulf of Mexico,, according to the National Hurricane Center, which predicted the storm will be “at or near major hurricane strength” when it hits Florida and warned “there is an increasing risk of life-threatening storm surge and wind impacts” beginning late Tuesday or Wednesday.
Milton is forecast to become a Category 3 hurricane with winds of 120 mph before hitting Florida; tropical storms are classified as hurricanes when winds reach 74 mph and major hurricanes when winds exceed 110 mph.
The storm was about 835 miles west-southwest of Tampa as of Sunday morning after winds increased to near 65 mph during the late morning, according to the National Hurricane Center, which forecast Milton to become a hurricane later Sunday with “steady to rapid strengthening” over the next few days.
Heavy rain is expected in portions of the state beginning Sunday and Monday, with up to a foot of rain possible in parts of the Florida Peninsula and the Keys.
Hurricane and storm surge watches could be issued for Florida later in the day Sunday, according to the National Hurricane Center.
“The NOAA Hurricane Hunter crew reported that an eyewall has formed on the last center fix, suggesting that this system is ready to intensify quickly,” the National Hurricane Center noted in its 11 a.m. EDT advisory. “Given the track over the very deep warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico and little shear for the next couple of days, rapid intensification is explicitly forecast.”
Helene was the hardest hit for the Tampa Bay area from a hurricane in 103 years, according to the Associated Press. Despite staying offshore, Helene inundated parts of the area with several feet of storm surge. Twelve people died in the Tampa area due to the surge, AP reported.
Milton will be the fifth hurricane to make landfall in the U.S. this year, as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts 2024 will be one of the busiest hurricane seasons on record, estimating 8-13 hurricanes, including 4-7 major hurricanes.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Saturday declared a state of emergency for 35 counties, including all in the Tampa Bay area.
Milton is expected to arrive less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene, a major Category 4 storm, hit Florida on Sept. 26 and traveled 500 miles across the Southeastern U.S., causing heavy flooding in the Carolinas, Georgia, Virginia and Tennessee. At least 230 people across six states died as a result of the hurricane, which was the deadliest to hit the continental U.S. since Katrina in 2005. Helene made landfall near Perry, Florida, approximately 160 miles north of Tampa, with winds of 140 mph before it was downgraded to a tropical storm as it moved northward.
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