Hurricane Milton is a very intense storm and its winds continue to increase, according to the most recent data from the US National Hurricane Center.
Milton’s tropical storm-force winds currently extend 250 miles (402 kilometers) from its center, especially on its north side. These same winds extended approximately 169 kilometers from the center in the early afternoon of Tuesday (8).
The area affected by the winds could increase even more before and after the hurricane’s landfall, bringing damage to a large part of the state of Florida.
Tropical storm-force wind gusts have already been recorded along parts of the state’s west coast, from the Tampa Bay area north to the Keys.
Almost unprecedented rapid intensification
Hurricane Milton rapidly intensified to a nearly unprecedented level, reaching Category 5 status due to record heat in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
Currently, it is in category 4 and has had an updated route, allowing it to arrive in Florida at 11pm this Wednesday (9), local time.
It is expected to grow in size, meaning that while it may shrink in category, its dangerous impacts will be spread over a much larger area.
Hurricane Milton was considered the strongest storm on the planet in 2024, with sustained winds of 281 km/h.
Recently, Hurricane Helene made landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast as a storm surge and made landfall in the swamp region as a Category 4 hurricane.
Authorities are asking residents — still recovering from Helene’s damage — to evacuate or prepare for another life-threatening storm.
This content was originally published in Furacão Milton and has more than doubled in size since Tuesday (8) on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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