Tracking Hurricane Milton

This hurricane season has certainly been making a name for itself after an extremely slow start to the peak of the season.

Milton strengthened into a category 1 hurricane this morning, a little over 24 hours after forming as a tropical depression. This remarkable rate of intensification has leveled off some the last few hours, but will likely continue through the next few days, assuming land interaction is limited.

The National Hurricane Center is explicitly calling for Milton to strengthen into a extremely powerful category 4 hurricane as it passes north of the Yucatan Peninsula the next day or two, and toward Florida. Favorable environmental conditions, including plenty of moisture, low vertical wind shear, and very warm ocean temperatures will all be responsible for helping Milton along in its potentially significant journey across the Gulf of Mexico.

Recent trends have Milton potentially interacting or making landfall in the Yucatan Peninsula late Monday into Tuesday. This could limit Milton’s ability to continue intensifying and reach the peak intensity the NHC currently expects. Regardless, Milton will have plenty of time to strengthen a fair amount before encountering less favorable conditions closer to the Florida Peninsula. This still puts Florida at highs odds of experiencing a very powerful hurricane by midweek.

Milton is currently expected to make landfall as a category 3 major hurricane Wednesday afternoon just south of Tampa Bay.

The bottom line is that Milton is going to be a significant threat for the western central Florida Coast later this week. If you happen to know anyone who lives in this area, check in and make sure they are preparing accordingly for a powerful hurricane. Staying informed is the best tool folks in Florida will have during this hurricane threat!