Hurricane Milton has officially strengthened into a Category 4 hurricane ahead of making landfall on the Florida coast.
The hurricane's wind speeds have now exceeded 150 mph, making it a Category 4 in strength, having only hit Category 3 a few hours ago.
Milton is currently positioned in the Gulf of Mexico, and is expected to slam into the west coast of Florida late on Wednesday night.
"Data from both Hurricane Hunter aircraft indicate that Milton has strengthened to a category 4 hurricane. The maximum sustained winds are estimated to be 150 mph (240 km/h). Milton is a category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale," the National Hurricane Center said in an 8 a.m. Central Time update.
"Maximum sustained winds have increased to near 125 mph (205 km/h) with higher gusts. Milton is a category 3 hurricane, the NHC said in a public advisory only hours beforehand.
Hurricane watches, tropical storm watches and storm surge warnings have been put into place along the Florida coast ahead of the hurricane's arrival. Hurricane watches are in place along the Florida Gulf Coast from Chokoloskee to the mouth of the Suwanee River, while storm surge watches are in place between Flamingo and the Suwannee River.
Tropical storm watches are also in place along much of Florida's Big Bend, where Hurricane Helene hit as a Category 4 storm in late September, and along the south coast and the Florida Keys.
A hurricane watch is typically issued when hurricane-force winds (sustained winds of 74 mph or greater) are possible within 48 hours, while a tropical storm watch is put in place when there is a potential for winds of 39 to 73 mph—tropical storm-force—within 48 hours. A storm surge watch is assigned when there is a possibility of life-threatening inundation from rising water moving inland within 48 hours.
Hurricane and tropical storm warnings are also in place along Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, which the storm will sideswipe on its journey toward Florida.
"On the forecast track, Milton is forecast to move near or just north of the Yucatan Peninsula today and Tuesday, then cross the eastern Gulf of Mexico and approach the west coast of the Florida Peninsula by Wednesday," the NHC said.
The storm formed from an area of low pressure in the western Gulf of Mexico, rapidly strengthening into a tropical depression and then into Tropical Storm Milton on Frida and Saturday, before intensifying into a hurricane on Sunday.
"Favorable environmental conditions that can help a TC get stronger include high sea surface temperatures, low environmental vertical wind shear, and high atmospheric moisture," Haiyan Jiang, a professor of Earth and environment at Florida International University, told Newsweek.
The hurricane is expected to bring as much as 12 feet of storm surge along some regions of the Florida coast.
"The deepest water will occur along the immediate coast near and to the south of the landfall location, where the surge will be accompanied by large and dangerous waves. Surge-related flooding depends on the relative timing of the surge and the tidal cycle, and can vary greatly over short distances," the NHC explained.
Additionally, up to 15 inches of rain are expected across Florida, possibly causing widespread flash flooding.
"Areas of heavy rainfall will impact portions of Florida today well ahead of Milton, with heavy rainfall more directly related to the system expected later on Tuesday through Wednesday night. This rainfall will bring the risk of considerable flash, urban, and areal flooding, along with the potential for moderate to major river flooding," the NHC said in a forecast discussion.
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