Hurricane Milton strengthened to near Category 5 strength Monday, driving sustained winds of 155 mph as it rolled across the Gulf of Mexico bound for what could be a devastating crash along Florida’s already storm-battered western coast sometime on Wednesday, October 9.
The storm has rapidly intensified, strengthening from Category 2 to 4 in a couple of hours, and it was forecast to reach Category 5 status later Monday. By Tuesday, Milton’s intensity “should be dictated by any eyewall replacement cycles, which will likely cause the system to weaken but grow larger gradually,” the National Hurricane Center said in an advisory.
The hurricane center has issued hurricane watches across portions of Florida and warned that parts of the state could be overwhelmed by life-threatening storm surges, flooding rain, and damaging winds.
Milton is forecast to remain an “extremely dangerous” hurricane for the next couple of days. A Category 5 hurricane features sustained winds greater than 155 mph. Some weakening is forecast before the hurricane reaches the coast, but Milton “is still likely to be a large and powerful hurricane at landfall in Florida,” hurricane center specialist Jack Beven wrote in an advisory.
Rainfall is expected to total 5-10 inches in some areas of the state that were saturated even before Hurricane Helene smashed ashore less than two weeks ago. Isolated communities could see 15 inches, the hurricane center said in its advisory. Some areas will be slammed with heavy rainfall well ahead of Milton’s arrival, likely later on Tuesday through Wednesday night, the advisory said.
