Hurricane Milton continues to gather strength Tuesday as it surges passed Cancún, sustaining wind speeds up to 155 miles per hour on its collision course with Florida.
The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) described the bruising Category 5 storm as ‘potentially catastrophic’ for Florida’s western coastal communities — with trackers forecasting that Milton will plow northeast before turning sharply east into Tampa.
Tampa Bay and surrounding communities are bracing for storm surges as high as 15 feet leading to flooding inland as residents attempt to flee amid traffic congestion.
All across the Florida counties caught in Milton’s northeast path, rainfall is expected to reach five-to-10 inches with some regions likely to face as much as 15 inches.
Weather data visualization firm Ventusky is actively synthesizing meteorological data to chart and predict Hurricane Milton’s trajectory via their tracker, below.
These heavy rains are expected to bring flash flooding, slow and more persistent ‘areal’ flooding, overwhelmed storm drain systems, and ‘moderate to major river flooding,’ according to the the World Meteorological Organization.
Milton astonished forecasters with its ability to evolve in less than three days from a tropical depression or cyclone — with no more than 38 mph wind speeds — into a potentially record-setting and deadly Category 5 hurricane.
NHC officials noted that there are signs that the hurricane may weaken as it transits the Gulf of Mexico toward Florida, downgrading to a still-punishing Category 3 before it makes landfall Wednesday.
‘While fluctuations in intensity are expected, Milton is forecast to remain an extremely dangerous hurricane through landfall in Florida,’ the NHC warned.
Cities along the west Florida coast, from Spring Hill to the north to Cape Coral in the south, including Tampa, St. Petersburg and Venice, are all set to face the worst of Hurricane Milton’s impact as it charges through the state Wednesday.
But Florida’s eastern coast, as well as parts of Georgia and South Carolina, will also face risks according to the center’s meteorologists.
‘Tropical storm conditions are possible within the watch area on the east coast of Florida by Wednesday night and along the Georgia and South Carolina coasts on Thursday,’ NHC officials said.
Before and during the hurricane, turbulent wind patterns are even expected to generate a few tornadoes ‘over central and southern Florida beginning late tonight and continuing through Wednesday night,’ the center’s experts advised.
The worst of the Hurricane Milton’s impact, based on Ventusky’s modelling, will continue on into the early morning hours Thursday, with the eye of the storm plowing through central Florida before passing its eastern coastline sometime after 5am Eastern.
Tampa is especially vulnerable to the destructive impacts of hurricanes, meaning Milton could be particularly deadly and costly for this quiet, central Florida metro area — according to Dr Steven Godby, an expert in natural hazards at Nottingham Trent University’s School of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences in the UK.
‘Tampa has long been regarded as the most vulnerable metropolitan area in the United States to storm surge flooding,’ Dr Godby explained to DailyMail.com.
The highest point in Tampa is only 48 feet high, and this combination of the city’s low ground elevation and its dense population and infrastructure, magnifies the risks of hurricane damage, Dr Godby said.
‘Direct hurricane strikes on the west coast of Florida are rare,’ he added. ‘[but] the last major hurricane (Category 3 on the Saffir-Simpson scale) to affect the Tampa Bay region made landfall in on 25 October 1921, bringing a storm surge of 3-3.5 meters and winds of 185 km/h that caused losses that today would be $180 million.’
‘With Hurricane Milton bearing down on Tampa it is worth noting that the population at that time was around 160,000 and has now swelled to over three million,’ he continued, ‘many living on ground less than three meters [9.84 feet] above sea level.’
‘Large numbers of homes, schools, government buildings and critical infrastructure are at risk of flooding and wind damage,’ he warned.
Florida residents seeking help are urged to call the State Assistance Information Line (SAIL) at 1-800-342-3557 and/or the FEMA Helpline at 1-800-621-3362.