Hurricane Milton has already become the second-strongest hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico in recorded history, following behind only Hurricane Rita. And its current path could make it the first direct on Tampa Bay since 1921.
The National Hurricane Center reported on Monday night that the storm’s central pressure, which is used to measure strength of hurricanes, was rated at 897 millibars. The lower the rating, the stronger the storm.
This rating puts Milton only behind Hurricane Rita, which bottomed out at 895 millibars in 2005 when it hammered the southern parts of the country.
However, experts are currently predicting that the storm could weaken before it makes landfall. As of Tuesday morning, the storm had fallen from a Category 5 storm to a Category 4 storm as it barrels toward Florida.
Meteorologists are noting that Milton is not expected to make landfall until Wednesday, and it could weaken to a Category 3 storm by then, NBC News reports.
Fox Weather’s hurricane expert Bryan Norcross said that Milton’s winds have hit 180 mph as it heads towards Tampa Bay. Norcross says the storm could become “one of the biggest hurricane disasters in history” as predictions show the storm surge could come up 15 feet.
As Milton continues to evolve, it brings “multiple life-threatening hazards” to Florida’s coastline.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis spoke about the storm, warning Florida residents to be prepared for significant damage.
“I don’t think there’s any scenario where we don’t have significant impacts at this point,” DeSantis said.
But the most stark warning came from Tampa Mayor Jane Castor who told residents on CNN, "If you choose to stay … you are going to die.” Note that Milton is veering toward a landfall not far off from where Hurricane Helene landed just two weeks ago so the area is still cleaning up. Volunteers were cleaning up Helene debris on St. Petersburg beach yesterday to try to stop it from becoming deadly projectiles.
Milton is shaping up as such a potential catastrophe that a veteran meteorologist John Morales broke down in tears giving his report on a local affiliate yesterday. As he spoke, the storm was upgraded to a Category 5 and he had to deliver the news.
"I apologize," he said through tears. "This is just horrific."