Hurricane Milton has strengthened at a record pace in the Gulf of Mexico, to the point of becoming Category 5, the maximum level. This hurricane, one of the most violent ever recorded, should directly hit the city of Tampa on Wednesday, where evacuations have already begun
Florida, already hard hit by Hurricane Helene, which claimed 230 lives, is preparing for an even more severe weather phenomenon. Hurricane Milton will hit the North American state on Wednesday, after strengthening at breakneck speed in the unusually warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, to the point of being classified as category 5 on the Saffir-Simpson scale, the highest level.
Although the United States National Hurricane Center (NHC) has lowered it to category 4, it is still “extremely dangerous,” according to the meteorological research center.
Milton is expected to make landfall in this southeastern US state, the third most populous in the country, on Wednesday night, after having skirted the northern coast of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula on Monday and Tuesday.
The NHC, which on Monday predicted “the worst” storm to hit the Tampa region in more than a hundred years, now expects winds of 250 km/h. On Monday he had predicted 270 km/h. In the city, evacuations also began. Throughout the day there were huge traffic jams on the highway leading to the north exit of Tampa, the correspondent of RFI in Miami, David Thomson.
Residents are fleeing the city. Many neighborhoods in this city of three million people on the Gulf of Mexico are under evacuation orders. And according to Jane Castor, the city’s mayor, in statements to cnnthe damage caused by Hélène is nothing compared to what Milton could cause. «Helene was just a warning. This is literally catastrophic. And I say it without dramatizing (…) Those who refuse to evacuate are going to die.
Milton is a “fierce” hurricaneRepublican Governor Ron DeSantis warned Monday. «They have time to leave. So please do it,” he urged residents in risk areas.
To facilitate these evacuations, Florida authorities have announced that toll roads will be free of charge. Milton is expected to move across the state from southwest to northeast. Of Florida’s 67 counties, 51 are under a state of emergency.
Mexico on guard with Milton
Maximum vigilance is still necessary in Mexico. Although it is expected to arrive in Florida in the middle of the week, it has been hugging the Yucatan coast for a long time, explains our correspondent in Mexico, Gwendolina Duval.
During the night from Monday to Tuesday, Milton passed less than 50 km from land, near the towns of Celestún and Progreso, bringing torrential rains, destructive waves and violent winds. The population and tourists in the states of Yucatán, Campeche and Quintana Roo were advised to take shelter indoors and stay away from windows. On the Holbox peninsula, the population was evacuated on Monday afternoon, when the alert reached maximum risk.
The government has deployed national civil protection teams to the north of the Yucatan Peninsula. The Navy and National Defense have activated their emergency protocol. Milton grew very quickly, which is also what makes him particularly dangerous. Gusts of more than 330 km/h have been recorded.
