Hurricane Milton: Worst Storm In 100 Years To Hit Tampa Bay? Florida Braces For Massive Impact - Key Things To Know
Date
10/8/2024 3:23:18 PM
(MENAFN- Live Mint) As Florida is bracing for landfall of Hurricane Milton on Wednesday, Tampa Bay is an area that has not been hit directly by a major hurricane since 1921.
The Tampa Bay, with a population of more than 3.3 million people, is still reeling from the devastating Hurricane Helene less than two weeks ago.
Florida's entire west coast is under a hurricane or tropical storm warning as the storm and its 145 mph (230 kph) winds spun just off Mexico's Yucatan peninsula.
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- Early Tuesday, the National Hurricane Center downgraded Milton to a Category 4 hurricane, but forecasters said it still posed“an extremely serious threat to Florida.”
- Forecasters warned that Milton could bring a 10 to 15-foot (3- to 4.5-meter) storm surge to Tampa Bay.
- Hurricane Milton had intensified quickly on Monday, becoming a Category 5 storm at midday with maximum sustained winds of 180 mph (285 kph) before being downgraded.
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- Fed by warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico, Milton became the third-fastest intensifying storm on record in the Atlantic Ocean, as it surged from a tropical storm to a Category 5 hurricane - the most powerful category - in less than 24 hours.
- Following Hurricane Milton warning, evacuation orders were issued for beach communities all along the Gulf coast.
- Milton is forecast to remain an extremely dangerous hurricane through landfall and as it makes its way across central Florida toward the Atlantic Ocean with rainfall totals as high as 18 inches (20 centimeters) possible. That means catastrophic damage will occur, including power outages expected to last days.
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