Milton could become among most destructive hurricanes for west-central Florida

Milton could become among most destructive hurricanes for west-central Florida, including Tampa, NHC warns

Steven Yablonski

 Forecasters say Hurricane Milton has the potential to become one of the most destructive hurricanes on record for west-central Florida, which includes the Tampa area, as millions of residents continue to prepare for life-threatening impacts and evacuate the coast and other low-lying areas ahead of the monster storm’s arrival on Wednesday night as Hurricane and Storm Surge Warnings expand to the state's east coast.

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On Monday, Hurricane Milton underwent rapid intensification and strengthened from a Category 1 hurricane to a near-record-breaking Category 5 hurricane with winds of 180 mph and a minimum central pressure of 897 millibars. Milton has since weakened to a Category 4 hurricane as the storm skirts the coast of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula and is expected to remain an "extremely dangerous hurricane" through landfall along Florida’s west coast.

"It’s worth emphasizing that this is a very serious situation, and residents in Florida should closely follow orders from their local emergency management officials," the NHC warned on Tuesday. "Milton has the potential to be one of the most destructive hurricanes on record for west-central Florida."

The NHC said the central pressure within Hurricane Milton fell to the second-lowest pressure on record in the Gulf of Mexico and the lowest pressure in the Atlantic Basin since 2005.

In terms of maximum sustained winds, Milton has also become the strongest hurricane in the Atlantic Basin since Hurricane Dorian in 2019 and tied for the fourth-strongest storm since recordkeeping began. Hurricane Allen holds the top spot with maximum sustained winds that reached 190 mph in 1980.

Hurricane Milton is likely to bring life-threatening impacts to Florida, including a deadly storm surge, destructive hurricane-force winds and flooding rain that has millions of residents finalizing their emergency plans, while countless others are packing up and fleeing the coast and other low-lying areas as state and local officials plead with people to listen to officials and leave if evacuations are ordered.

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