Florida is expected to be hit by another hurricane next week, just 10 days after it was hit by Hurricane Helene, which caused widespread storm surge and wind damage before it moved inland to cause devastating flooding.
According to reports, the latest system, Tropical Storm Milton, formed in the Gulf of Mexico on Saturday. Forecasters expect the storm to quickly strengthen into a hurricane and rush toward Florida in the next few days.
Florida’s governor, Ron DeSantis, declared a state of emergency in 35 counties ahead of the storm’s potential landfall. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Florida said Milton, which could become a hurricane on Monday, is expected to bring surge and high winds to the recovering west coast and serious flood risks to south and central Florida.
Jamie Rhome, the deputy director of the NHC in Miami, said Milton could develop into a “potentially very impactful hurricane” and hit Florida’s Gulf coast on Tuesday or Wednesday.
Milton is expected to pack maximum sustained winds of 110mph when it makes landfall near St Petersburg and Tampa as a category 2 to category 3 hurricane, Rhome said. Category 3 and above are considered “major” hurricanes.
Read also: Hurricane Helene death toll in US hits 200
Tropical Storm Milton’s center was about 860 miles (1,385km) west-south-west of Tampa, Florida, early Sunday, heading east at 5mph with maximum sustained winds of 60mph (95kph), the National Hurricane Center in Miami said.
“Milton is moving slowly but is expected to strengthen rapidly,” the center said. “There is increasing confidence that a powerful hurricane with life-threatening hazards will be affecting portions of the Florida west coast around the middle of this week.”
“Regardless of where the storm tracks, it’s going to produce a large area of heavy rain and potential flooding,” Rhome said on Saturday.
“Even if this doesn’t realize a high-end wind core, it will have the potential for significant surge inundation,” Andrew Moore, a meteorologist for Arch Reinsurance, wrote on X.
Story was adapted from the Guardian.
