Hurricane Milton downgraded to a Category 4 storm as it roars towards Florida
With maximum sustained winds of 250km/h, Milton triggered evacuation orders and warnings of savage conditions on Florida’s west coast
Hurricane Milton is set to approach the Florida peninsula as a catastrophic Category 4 storm, bearing down on a region still struggling to recover from Helene’s devastation.
Milton’s top wind speed slowed slightly to 250 kilometres (155 miles) per hour, the US National Hurricane Center said in its latest advisory. The system is expected to glance off Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula on Tuesday, before heading toward Florida on Wednesday.
“While fluctuations in intensity are expected, Milton is forecast to remain an extremely dangerous hurricane through landfall in Florida,” the advisory said.
With winds this intense, Milton is capable of collapsing homes, flattening trees and triggering power outages that could last weeks to months. It’s difficult for hurricanes to maintain their maximum strength for long, however, so Milton’s winds may drop as it nears Florida’s west coast.
Widespread electricity outages are likely and a small shift in Milton’s trajectory can determine whether it strikes a densely populated area, said Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who has declared an emergency in 51 counties.
“Please, if you are in the Tampa Bay area, you need to evacuate,” Kevin Guthrie, director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, said at a briefing on Monday. “Drowning deaths due to storm surge are 100 per cent preventable if you leave.”
