Hurricane Milton Rapidly Intensifies Into Category 4

Hurricane Milton, which is moving east across the Gulf of Mexico and is expected to hit Florida later this week, has strengthened to a Category 4 hurricane, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).

NWS said on Monday morning that data from two hurricane tracking airplanes shows sustained wind speeds of 150 mph, which moves Milton into a Category 4 storm. According to the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, sustained winds of 157 mph or higher will move a hurricane from Category 4 to Category 5. Forecasters warn that Milton could maintain Category 4 strength when it makes landfall in the Tampa Bay area either late Wednesday or early Thursday morning, CBS News reported.

Milton’s path is also expected to include Orlando, Florida, before it moves to the state’s Atlantic coast and eventually out into the Atlantic Ocean by Thursday evening. Republican Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for 51 Florida counties on Sunday, and mandatory evacuations have been issued for some zones in the Tampa Bay area as of Monday morning.

“Impacts will be felt across the Florida peninsula, as Milton is forecasted to exit Florida’s east coast as a hurricane,” DeSantis said on Sunday, adding, “Floridians should prepare now for potential impacts, even if you live outside of the forecast cone. We recommend following all evacuation orders from your local officials.”

Hurricane Milton’s path is somewhat unusual, forming in the Gulf of Mexico before moving eastward, but similar paths have been recorded in the past, most recently in 1998.

“It’s not uncommon to get a hurricane threat in October along the west coast of Florida, but forming all the way in the southwest Gulf and then striking Florida is a little bit more unusual,” said Hurricane Center specialist Daniel Brown.

Milton is forecasted to hit Florida just two weeks after Hurricane Helene made landfall in northern Florida before moving into Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina, and South Carolina, causing catastrophic flooding and damage and killing more than 200 people. While Helene made landfall in northern Florida, the Tampa Bay area saw massive storm surges and high winds, which caused severe damage from St. Petersburg to Clearwater.   

Following the devastation caused by Helene, the Biden-Harris administration was blasted for an apparent lack of response in the storm’s immediate aftermath. After Helene hit multiple states, whistleblowers accused the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) of misappropriating funds while leaving first responders on the ground without orders.