US officials are warning of potentially life-threatening impacts from Hurricane Milton as it makes landfall towards the Florida coast.
Milton is one of the most powerful storms to form in the North Atlantic in recent years.
It comes just two weeks after Hurricane Helene caused substantial damage in the United States.
The storm is expected to hit Wednesday.
When will Hurricane Milton hit Florida?
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) expects Milton to make landfall as an “extremely dangerous hurricane” in the US state of Florida on Wednesday night local time.
It could hit close to the city of Tampa, whose largest metropolitan area has a population of more than three million people.
Forecasters are warning of torrential rain, flash flooding, strong winds and possible storms – which occur when water moves inland from the coast.
They say Milton could be the worst storm to hit the area in about a century – with an increase of 10-15ft (3-4.5m) possible, and localized rainfall of up to 1.5ft.
Where is Hurricane Milton – and what is its path?
On Sunday, Milton became a category one hurricane and moved steadily eastward across the Gulf of Mexico after clearing Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula.
BBC weather presenter Chris Fawkes said it had undergone explosive intensification over a 24-hour period, culminating in sustained wind gusts of 200 mph (321 km/h).
It was placed in the category of the most powerful hurricane – five – although it fluctuated in strength.
While the hurricane decreased in intensity Tuesday before returning to category five status, officials warned it could double in size before hitting Florida on Wednesday.
The heart of the hurricane is expected to pass over west-central Florida, with a large storm expected along a stretch of the state’s coast before landfall.
In an update Tuesday night, the NHC said the hurricane has “wobbled” to the south, leading forecasters to slightly change its track. Even the most accurate forecasts are typically off by about 60 miles (100 km) when the storm is 36 hours away, forecasters said.
Milton has to cut through the peninsula before ending up in the Atlantic Ocean.
Where are the evacuation zones for Hurricane Milton?
Floridians have been told to prepare for the state’s biggest evacuation effort in years, with Gov. Ron DeSantis warning that a “monster” is on the way.
Most counties are in an official state of emergency, and evacuations have been ordered up and down Florida’s west coast.
Disaster management authorities have issued a list and a map of the evacuation order.
Several large shelters have also been prepared as a last resort for those stranded.
Airports in Milton’s planned route have announced closures, and traffic queues have been observed as people begin to leave their homes.
What is a hurricane and how do they form?
Hurricanes – sometimes known as cyclones or typhoons – are a type of tropical storm that form in the North Atlantic. They bring strong winds and heavy rains.
When the ocean air is warm and moist, it rises, and then begins to cool – which causes clouds to form.
Sometimes this rising air can leave the top of the hurricane faster than it can be replaced at the surface, causing the surface pressure to fall.
The drop in pressure causes the winds to accelerate with more air which then flattens out as the hurricane strengthens.
The National Oceanic Atmospheric Association (Noaa) has predicted that the 2024 hurricane season will be more active than usual. Rising average sea-level temperatures due to human-caused climate change were partly to blame, he said.
What is a category five hurricane?
Category five hurricanes are considered “catastrophic” by Noaa.
They carry wind speeds greater than 155 mph (249 km/h) and can cause “very severe and extensive damage.”
The US government agency is urging “mass evacuations” in residential areas near coasts, as a category five hurricane could still bring storm surges exceeding 18 feet (5 m) and destroy many homes.
Trees and power lines can also be downed, causing the isolation of residential areas and long power outages. Noaa says affected areas may be left uninhabitable for weeks or months.
What were the worst five categories of the United States?
A database from Noaa shows that at least 40 storms in the Atlantic have reached category five status since 1924, although only four have actually made landfall at that strength. Here are some of the most harmful:
Hurricane Camille
Camille made landfall in Mississippi in 1969, producing a 24-foot storm surge and destroying nearly everything along the coast.
It killed 259 people, most of them in Virginia, and caused about $1.4 billion (£1.06 billion) in damage.
Hurricane Andrew
Hurricane Andrew decimated southern Florida in 1992 with sustained wind speeds of up to 165 mph and gusts of up to 174 mph.
He claimed 26 lives directly and was blamed for dozens of other deaths. Having caused $30 billion in damage, it was considered the costliest natural disaster in US history at the time.
Hurricane Michael
Hurricane Michael slammed into Florida in 2018 with wind speeds of 160 mph and was the strongest storm to make landfall in the Sunshine State.
At least 74 deaths have been attributed to the storm — 59 in the United States and 15 in Central America — and Michael caused an estimated $25.1 billion in damage.
Lower category storms
Milton comes less than two weeks later Hurricane Hélène it hit the United States as a category four storm, killing more than 200 people and becoming the deadliest hurricane to hit the continental United States since. Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
