Hurricane Milton updates: Storm could sprout ‘several tornadoes’ once it hits land
The US has been warned of a devastating domino effect that may occur once Hurricane Milton finally hits the shore.
Thousands of people are fleeing Florida as freak Hurricane Milton threatens to smash “mathematical limits” of what is meteorologically possible.
Footage of a meteorologist breaking down on camera while explaining the enormity of this weather event has quickly gone viral, with the expert seen choking back tears.
8PM EDT: This is nothing short of astronomical. I am at a loss for words to meteorologically describe you the storms small eye and intensity. 897mb pressure with 180 MPH max sustained winds and gusts 200+ MPH. This is now the 4th strongest hurricane ever recorded by pressure on… pic.twitter.com/QFdqFYFI7o
— Noah Bergren (@NbergWX) October 8, 2024
Hurricane Milton is set to make landfall in Florida on Wednesday and is expected to bring destruction to areas already reeling from Hurricane Helene’s devastation 12 days ago.
The hurricane – which “could be Florida’s worst storm in a century” – soared back to Category 5 on Tuesday afternoon (US time).
It had previously weakened to a Category 4 storm but its high wind speeds saw it strengthen to the highest category for a hurricane.
As of 1am Wednesday local time (4pm Wednesday AEST), the US National Hurricane Center confirmed that the hurricane has sustained wind speeds of 160 mp/h (257 km/h) and is moving northeast at 12 mp/h (19 km/h).
More than a million people have been ordered to evacuate from its path – with a further six million put under hurricane-watch warning.
The storm will be the worst to impact the Tampa area in more than 100 years if it stays on the current track, according to the National Weather Service.
Milton still at ‘extreme intensity’ and could sprout ‘several’ tornadoes
Florida has risen on Wednesday with Hurricane Milton looming off the coast. The storm is still currently rated as a category five, but is expected to be downgraded once it reaches shore.
Even so, a category three or four will still wreak havoc on properties, with civilians warned of surging flood waters that are expected to cause millions of dollars in damage.
Florida meteorologist John Morales says Milton is “particularly dangerous because of its extreme intensity”.
“Even if it loses strength, it could still be a category four or a category three hurricane when it makes landfall,” he said in an interview with the BBC.
“Generally hurricanes will come from the western Caribbean and come at Florida’s west coast at an oblique angle. This one instead is coming from the Western Gulf of Mexico.
“That’s going to drive a storm surge even higher. The depth of the inundation is going to be greater because of that angle of approach.”
Meteorologists have also warned Milton could cause “several tornadoes” after it hits shore.
“As Hurricane Milton moves across the Florida Peninsula today, several tornadoes will be likely across parts of the central and southern Florida Peninsula, into the Florida Keys,” the National Oceanic Atmospheric Association said in a statement.
“The tornado threat is expected to persist through the late afternoon and into the evening as the band moves to the eastern coast of Florida.”
Chilling advice for those who refuse to leave
Florida Attorney-General Ashley Moody has issued a chilling piece of advice for those refusing to evacuate as Hurricane Milton closes in.
“You probably need to write your name in permanent marker on your arm so that people know who you are when they get to you afterwards,” Moody said bluntly via NPR.
With winds reaching a ferocious 230 km/h, Hurricane Milton has prompted the evacuation of three million residents along Florida’s west coast. Although the storm weakened to a category four, forecasters warned it still poses a severe threat, particularly to the heavily populated Tampa Bay area.
Tampa Mayor Jane Castor delivered her own grim forecast for those choosing to defy evacuation orders, predicting that they “are going to die”.
Governor Ron DeSantis assured residents they have options that don’t require fleeing far.
“You can evacuate tens of miles; you do not have to evacuate hundreds of miles away,” he said, promising that fuel supplies would hold up for those needing to escape.
Major attractions like Walt Disney World and Universal Studios remained open on Tuesday, though Disney said it planned to close campgrounds and rental cabins in more vulnerable wooded areas as a precaution.
Image shows brutality heading for US
Florida residents have been shown the devastating effects of a 15-foot storm surge forecasted to hit as Hurricane Milton crosses the coast.
The Weather Channel’s Stephanie Abrams detailed exactly what the streets will look like once they are flooded, first beginning at three feet high, where it is “already too late to evacuate”.
At this level, rushing flood water is able to “knock you off your feet” and cause serious injury.
At nine feet, most first floor structures will be inundated with most beyond repair.
“Please do not think you can walk in it, this will carry you away,” she said.
The US National Hurricane Center has warned it is now a life or death situation for thousands in the expected danger zone, with officials warning it is now time to evacuate.
“A large area of destructive storm surge from Milton is expected along portions of the west coast of Florida,” the NHC wrote at 10pm local time.
“If you are in the Storm Surge Warning area, this is an extremely life-threatening situation and you should evacuate if ordered to do so by local officials.”
Fears with major hospital in danger zone
Tampa hospital has installed a temporary flood wall that officials hope will be enough to repel Hurricane Milton. The AquaFence was used during Hurricane Helene last month, but this storm is expected to be much more ferocious.
People in the US have pointed out a painfully obvious flaw in the city as emergency services scramble to safeguard the hospital.
The area’s only trauma centre is built on an island at sea level, meaning those suffering severe injuries could soon be cut off from the city’s biggest medical unit if flood waters surge.
At a news conference held today, Governor Ron DeSantis warned locals planning to evacuate to do so immediately.
“If you’re going to get out, get out now,” he said.
10 Tampa Bay reports Tampa General Hospital officials have incident command center and implemented their preparedness plan that plan includes setting up their “aquafence,” a water-impermeable barrier that can withstand storm surge up to 15 feet above sea level.
The facility has also been stocked with important supplies at all of their locations.
“We have a proactive and comprehensive plan in place to protect our locations against severe weather so we can continue to provide the exceptional care for which our patients turn to Tampa General,” Assistant Director of Public Safety Erinn Skiba said.
The hospital’s 16,000-square-foot on-site energy source that will provide backup power to the building if there’s a disruption, suthorities stated.
“It is built to withstand the impact and flooding of a Category 5 hurricane,” officials said. “The plant houses generators and boilers that can create steam and hot water.”
A large well is also available to the centre with water.
Waffle House Index
The mass closures of the iconic American chain restaurant Waffle House along the Florida coast are striking fear into residents.
The famous Waffle House Index has historically been used to highlight the severity of an extreme weather event, especially in Southern US states.
The famous diner is known for being open 24/7, 365 days a year, with no exceptions and has a good reputation for always staying open even in wild weather.
Therefore, when they are shut, it can only mean one thing: disaster.
“If you get there and the Waffle House is closed? That’s really bad,” said Craig Fugate, Former Head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
There are three colours on the Waffle House Index’s scale, with Green meaning that a full menu is being served, the restaurant has full power, and the damage is minimal or absent.
Yellow means a limited menu is available, with power to the establishment either absent or provided by a generator. Food supplies are also running low.
Red is the most severe and means the Waffle House branch is shut down. It indicates severe damage, flooding and destruction to the restaurant.
In a map published this morning, a sea of red can be seen, indicating just how bad things are right now in Florida.
“Please stay safe,” the restaurant chain wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
The Waffle House Index was used most notably in 2022 in the face of Hurricane Ian, when 35 of the restaurants shut up shop.
It was also used last month during Hurricane Helene.
In preparation for the current Hurricane Milton, Waffle House announced that 25 chains in the Tampa Bay area and eight in the Fort Myers area would close on October 8th before the storm’s arrival.
“Waffle Houses are up and down the interstate systems in Florida, it’s a pretty good gauge,” Fugate told NBC back in 2022.
“Once you get into areas where the Waffle Houses are closed or have limited menus, you’re starting to get into the areas with the impacts.”
‘15-foot surge’: Major US city totally exposed
The Tampa area, home to over three million Americans, is practically tailor-made to create severe storm surges due to shallow depths in the bay and surrounding Gulf Coast, a leading US weather expert has warned.
About 50 per cent of the Tampa Bay population reside at elevations less than 10 feet above sea level, according to a 2015 study from the disaster consultants Karen Clark and Co — meaning millions of homes will be severely flooded if a forecast Milton’s 15-foot storm surge comes to fruition.
The area is currently forecast to potentially face a direct it.
Speaking to the New York Post, MIT meteorology professor Kerry Emanuel said waves, blown by heavy wind, can “pile up” and create a deadly wall of water, akin to a tsunami.
“Storm surges are physically the same thing as a tsunami, but they’re created by wind rather than a shaking sea floor,” he explained.
“Imagine a wave coming up to a place where the water’s getting shallower and shallower and shallower. It has to slow down,” Prof Emanuel added.
“The front of it is slowing down faster than the back of it. So it’s like a traffic jam. One car starts to slow down and then the other cars pile up behind it. It’s a fluid equivalent of that.”
The shape of Tampa Bay itself also exacerbates that effect, Emanuel explained, as its narrow opening and channel further amplifies the surge’s pileup and spreads it across the surrounding region.
“The water is piling up left and right, it’s not just piling up from the bottom. You have to squeeze all that energy into progressively smaller places, and it literally just gets funnelled,” he said.
Finally, if Milton lands just north of Tampa, its counterclockwise rotation will slam wind and waves directly into the bay — just one more factor which led Prof Emanuel to agree with Karen Clark and Co.’s assessment that Tampa faces surge dangers unlike any other US city.
The area has become one of Florida’s most bustling regions since it was last hit by a hurricane — leading experts to fear residents may not be aware of what could be coming and choose to ignore evacuation orders.
“Unfortunately, there will be probably a higher proportion of people who refuse to leave when they ask to evacuate,” Prof Emanuel said.
‘This is horrific’: Weatherman breaks down on TV
As the city braces for impact, meteorologist John Morales became visibly emotional on TV as he gave an update on the “horrific” hurricane.
Video footage shared on social media shows the heartbreaking moment Mr Morales described the powerful and potentially deadly storm while live on a WTVJ telecast.
Tears welled up and Mr Morales could be heard saying: “Incredible, incredible hurricane.
“I apologise – this is just horrific.”
The weatherman continued to update viewers off-camera, but the emotion could still be heard in his voice.
The clip of the meteorologist was shared on X by NBC news anchor Chris Hush.
He wrote: “An emotional hurricane Milton update from John Morales as the storm hits Cat. 5 Status.
“Take this seriously.”
The shaken veteran of TV re-posted the tweet, and shared how the recent events have changed him.
Mr Morales: “I debated whether to share this. I did apologise on the air.”
‘A matter of life and death’
Tampa Mayor Jane Castor warned the city’s almost 400,000 residents to urgently evacuate.
She told CNN: “I can say this without any dramatisation whatsoever: if you choose to stay in one of those evacuation areas, you are going to die.
“This is something that I have never seen in my life and anyone who was born and raised in the Tampa Bay area has never seen this before.”
Florida governor Ron DeSantis said the hurricane is already far stronger than predicted two days ago.
He said: “This is a ferocious hurricane.
“At the strength it is now, this is a really, really strong storm.
“The effects of that, not just from the storm surge but from wind damage and debris, will be really, really significant.
“This is not a storm you want to take a risk on.”
“This is nothing short of astronomical,” meteorologist Noah Bergren said as Milton reached sustained winds of 290km/h.
“I am at a loss for words to meteorologically describe to you the storm’s small eye and intensity.
“This hurricane is nearing the mathematical limit of what Earth’s atmosphere over this ocean water can produce.”
Speaking at the White House, US President Joe Biden also issued an urgent plea to residents in Florida’s evacuation zones.
“This could be the worst storm to hit Florida in over a century. God willing it won’t be, but that’s what it’s looking like right now,” he told reporters on Tuesday.
“You should evacuate now, now, now. You should have already evacuated. It’s a matter of life and death, and that’s not hyperbole,” he said as advisers briefed him on the storm.”
Mr Biden postponed an upcoming trip to Angola and Germany this week because “I just don’t think I can be out of the country at this time.”
He said he would try to reschedule the visits.
Mr Biden also condemned misinformation spreading about hurricane relief efforts ahead of next month’s US election.
“Those who do it, do it to try to damage the administration,” Mr Biden said. He said that “we can take care of ourselves” but expressed concern about the impact that it could have on the ground.
“It’s un-American. It really is. People are scared to death. People know their lives are at stake, all that they’ve worked for, all that they own, all that they value,” he said.
Terrified residents flee
The Interstate 75 northbound was bumper to bumper and moving at just 11km/h on Monday afternoon as terrified residents fled the state.
Authorities have opened up the left northbound shoulder of Interstate 75 from Tampa to Interstate 10 in north Florida, and along eastbound Interstate 4, to help motorists get away.
Almost the entirety of Florida’s west coast was under a hurricane warning early Tuesday as the Category 4 storm and its 250km/h winds crept toward the state at 9mp/h.
The strongest Atlantic hurricane on record is 1980s Allen, which reached wind speeds of 190mp/h as it moved through the Caribbean and Gulf before striking Texas and Mexico.
Forecasters warned of a possible 8-to-12-foot storm surge in Tampa Bay.
Milton’s centre could come ashore Wednesday in the Tampa Bay region, which has not endured a direct hit by a major hurricane in more than a century.
Scientists expect the system to weaken slightly before landfall, though it could retain hurricane strength as it churns across central Florida toward the Atlantic Ocean.
That would largely spare other states ravaged by Helene, which killed at least 230 people on its path from Florida to the Appalachian Mountains.
– With The Sun and AFP
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