After Hurricane Helene, Hurricane Milton Batters Florida (image: screengrab @@ReturnOfKappy)
Hurricane Milton made a landfall in the US state of Florida, wreaking havoc. Milton made a landfall as an intense category 3 storm on Wednesday evening. Earlier it was taken as category 5 storm surge. Milton came less than two weeks later when hurricane Helene battered the state, leaving a trail of destruction, and killing more than 200.
Millions of residents from Mexico were told to evacuate in fear of the storm. Before making a landfall in Florida, it hit Yucatan Peninsula as it moved through the Gulf of Mexico. As of Tuesday, over 5.9 million people were under mandatory or voluntary evacuation orders.
Although hurricane Milton reduced to a strong category 3, forecasters said it would still make landfall as an “extremely dangerous major hurricane”. “No one in the area has ever experienced a hurricane this strong before”, said the National Weather Service.
Also Read: Hurricane Helene Makes Landfall In Florida; Heads To Georgia
Reportedly, Milton marks the ninth hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November 30. On average, the Atlantic basin experiences about seven hurricanes and three major hurricanes each year.
According to NHC, 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 in less than 24 hours, and later reduced to category 3.
The authorities use the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale to classify storms. The scale divides hurricanes into five categories based on their sustained wind speeds.
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The highest is Category 5, which means a storm that has a sustained wind speed of 253km/h (157mph) or higher. The Category 5 storms usually mean “catastrophic damage”, said NHC.
On Wednesday, the department said it is expecting life-threatening storm surges, with some areas along the west coast predicted to receive a storm surge of as much as 10-15ft above ground level on Wednesday and Thursday. The storm surge is often the greatest threat to life and property from a hurricane, as per the National Weather Service of the country.
Florida people were still reeling from the damages caused by Hurricane Helene that hit western Florida in September. At least 230 people were reported dead during the disaster.
