Tropical Storm Milton formed in the Gulf of Mexico on Saturday and is expected to have “life-threatening consequences” for Florida – a state just ravaged by Hurricane Helene – next week.
In their latest advisory, National Hurricane Center meteorologists warned that the forecast shows the system approaching “major hurricane strength” as it makes landfall along the west coast of Florida. “An intense hurricane with multiple life-threatening hazards is likely to impact the west coast of the Florida Peninsula next week,” the advisory said.
Where is Tropical Storm Milton and what is its path?
From 1:00 PM ET:
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Milton was located about 220 miles northeast of Veracruz, Mexico
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The storm had maximum sustained winds of 25 miles per hour
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The storm moved north-northeast over the Gulf of Mexico at a speed of 5 km/h
“There is an increasing risk of life-threatening storm surge and wind impacts for portions of the west coast of the Florida Peninsula beginning late Tuesday or Wednesday,” the NHC said in its forecast. “Residents in these areas should make sure they have a hurricane plan.”
Florida is expected to see rain outside of the storm as early as Sunday and Monday. Heavy rainfall from Tropical Storm Milton is forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday, according to the hurricane center. “These rainfall events bring the risk of flash, urban and land flooding, along with minor to isolated moderate river flooding,” meteorologists said.
Outside of Tropical Storm Milton, Hurricane Kirk, currently a Category 3 hurricane, is generating waves that are expected to bring “life-threatening surf and current conditions” to the US East Coast by Sunday.
Milton arrives days after Helene
Tropical Storm Milton comes just over a week after Hurricane Helene made landfall in the Big Bend region of Florida as a monstrous Category 4 storm, causing at least 20 deaths in Florida alone.
After making landfall with winds of 140 miles per hour, the storm moved inland across the Southeast, killing more than 200 people and leaving widespread destruction. After the storm, the state's infrastructure and emergency services have become scarce. As of Saturday afternoon, thousands of utility customers were still without power in Florida.
Read more from Yahoo News: Helene shows that in the age of climate change, hurricanes don't just destroy coastlines
Active hurricane season
Hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, but the peak of increased activity is usually from August to October. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a “typical” Atlantic hurricane season typically sees about fourteen so-called storms, “seven of which become hurricanes and three of which become major hurricanes.”
In early October, eight hurricanes formed in the Atlantic Ocean, with Milton becoming the thirteenth storm of the Atlantic hurricane season. As CNN notes, hurricane season is ahead of the expected schedule. Normally, the 13th storm of the season wouldn't hit until October 25.
Earlier this week, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas warned that the Federal Emergency Management Agency did not have the resources to get through the season. President Biden said this week that Congress may need to pass a supplemental spending bill in the coming months to help fund states' recovery efforts.
