Milton is once again a Category 5 hurricane, according to the latest update from the National Hurricane Center.
The scale used to measure the intensity of hurricanes is known as Saffir-Simpson. They are divided into five categories according to wind speed and storm surge, which is an abnormal rise in sea level following a storm.
The measurement also estimates the damage that could occur when the hurricane makes landfall.
The storm is 722 km southwest of Tampa, Florida, with sustained winds of 265 km/h and is moving east to northeast at 14 km/h.
Milton became a Category 5 hurricane for the first time on Monday (7) at 11 am ET and maintained Category 5 strength until 2 am this Tuesday (8).
The storm’s strength is expected to fluctuate over the next 36 hours, and it is forecast to weaken to a Category 3 hurricane before making landfall on Florida’s west coast.
Including Milton, only 42 recorded Atlantic hurricanes have hit, according to NOAA data. Before this season, only two Category 5 hurricanes had made landfall in the region in the 2020s: 2022’s Ian and 2023’s Lee.
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. It is currently in category 4.
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. The storm is expected to reach the Florida Gulf coast this Wednesday (9), when it should be category 3.
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 marshlands as a Category 4 hurricane. Authorities are urging residents — still recovering from Helene’s damage — to evacuate or prepare for another life-threatening storm.
This content was originally published in Milton strengthens again to a Category 5 hurricane on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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