The hurricane season has been harsh in the southern US and North America. Following the passage of Helene, which left over 230 dead in the United States, the threat of a new 'atmospheric monster' looms over the US and parts of Mexico. It is expected that this Category 4 hurricane will unleash its full force on Florida and the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico starting this Wednesday, as reported by AP.
Residents along the Florida Gulf Coast were hurrying on Tuesday to prepare for Milton's arrival, while work crews were busy clearing the debris left by Hurricane Helene two weeks ago, and roads were filled with people fleeing.
The eye of Hurricane Milton could make landfall on Wednesday in the Tampa Bay region, which has not experienced a direct impact from a Category 3 or higher hurricane in over a century. Scientists predict that the system will slightly weaken before landfall, although it could retain hurricane strength as it crosses Florida towards the Atlantic Ocean. This path would spare other states devastated by Helene, which killed at least 230 people as it passed through Florida and the Carolinas.
"This Milton is serious," declared Tampa Mayor Jane Castor at a press conference. "If you want to face Mother Nature, she will win 100% of the time."
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis stated on Monday that it was essential to clear the debris left by Helene before Milton's arrival to prevent them from becoming projectiles.
Meteorologists warned of the possibility of storm surges of 2.4 to 3.6 meters in Tampa Bay. This is the highest level ever forecasted for the region, nearly double the levels reached two weeks ago during Helene's arrival, said Maria Torres, spokesperson for the National Hurricane Center in the United States (NHC).
The storm could also bring widespread flooding. Rainfall of 13 to 25 centimeters was forecasted for the Florida mainland and the Keys, with up to 38 centimeters in some areas.
The Tampa metropolitan area has over 3.3 million inhabitants. "It's a huge population. It's very exposed, very inexperienced, and that's a losing premise," said Kerry Emanuel, meteorology professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "I always thought Tampa would be the most concerning city."
Much of the western coast of Florida was under hurricane and storm surge alerts. A hurricane alert was also issued for parts of the Mexican state of Yucatán, which is expected to be affected by Milton's passage to the north.
Milton rapidly intensified on Monday over the eastern Gulf of Mexico. It had maximum sustained winds of 270 km/h, reported the NHC. By nightfall, the storm's eye was located about 1,015 kilometers southwest of Tampa, moving east at 15 km/h (9 mph).
The Tampa Bay metropolitan area has not fully recovered from Helene's passage and its powerful storm surges. Twelve people died there. The worst damage was recorded along a chain of barrier islands from St. Petersburg to Clearwater.
Lifeguards in Pinellas County, on the peninsula forming Tampa Bay, were removing chairs and other items that could become airborne when intense winds hit. In other areas, piles of stoves, chairs, refrigerators, and kitchen tables awaited collection.
Sarah Steslicki, who lives in Belleair Beach, expressed frustration that more debris had not been cleared earlier. "They wasted time and haven't picked up the debris, and now they're rushing to collect it," Steslicki said on Monday. "If this one hits us, they're going to be flying missiles. There will be things floating and flying through the air."
Hillsborough County, where Tampa is located, ordered evacuations in areas adjacent to Tampa Bay and all mobile homes and prefabricated houses by Tuesday night.
President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration for Florida, and federal representative Kathy Castor stated that 7,000 federal workers were called upon to assist, marking one of the largest federal personnel mobilizations in history.
Milton's approach brought back memories of Hurricane Irma in 2017, when around 7 million people were urged to evacuate Florida in an exodus that clogged highways and filled gas stations. Some of those who left vowed never to evacuate again.
By Monday morning, some gas stations in the Fort Myers and Tampa areas were already out of gas. Fuel was still being delivered to Florida, with the state stockpiling hundreds of thousands of gallons of gasoline and diesel, and much more on the way, DeSantis stated.
A steady stream of vehicles headed north towards the western tip of Florida on Interstate 75, the main highway on the western side of the peninsula, as residents began evacuating. Southbound lanes were jammed for kilometers as others headed towards the relative safety of Fort Lauderdale and Miami on the other side of the state.
Despite her Belleair Beach home being flooded with over 1.2 meters of water from Helene, Tanya Marunchak and her husband were unsure whether to evacuate. She wanted to leave, but her husband believed their three-story home was sturdy enough to withstand Milton.
"We lost all our cars, all our furniture. The first floor was completely destroyed," Marunchak said. "This is the strangest climate predicament there has ever been."
Milton's wind speed increased by 148 km/h (92 mph) in 24 hours, a rate surpassed only by Hurricane Wilma in 2005 and Hurricane Felix in 2007. One reason for Milton's rapid strengthening is its small eye, stated Phil Klotzbach, hurricane researcher at Colorado State University.
The storm is expected to go through what is known as an eyewall replacement cycle, a natural process that forms a new eye and expands the storm's size but weakens the speed of its winds, Klotzbach noted.
The Gulf of Mexico is unusually warm now, so "the fuel is there," and Milton likely passed over a very warm area that helped accelerate it further, indicated Kristen Corbosiero, hurricane scientist at the University at Albany.
The last hurricane to make landfall in the continental United States as a Category 5 was Michael in 2018.
Due to the storm, schools in Pinellas County, where St. Petersburg is located, were being converted into shelters. Airports in Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Orlando were planning to close. Disney World reported that it was currently operating normally.
In Mexico, the governor of Yucatán state, Joaquín Díaz, ordered the cancellation of all non-essential activities, except for grocery stores, hospitals, pharmacies, and gas stations starting on Monday, and Mexican officials organized bus runs to evacuate residents of the coastal city of Progreso.
It has been two decades since so many storms crossed Florida in such a short period. In 2004, five storms —an unprecedented number— hit Florida within six weeks, including three hurricanes that impacted the central part of the state.
Just 30 meters (100 feet) from the water in Fort Myers Beach, Don Girard was preparing his three-story home for Milton's arrival. Helene flooded the house two weeks ago, and Debby did so in August. Two years ago, Hurricane Ian caused waves to reach the second floor. "It's been tough. I'm not going to lie," Girard said. "The last two years have been pretty bad."