Hurricane Milton, a Category 5 storm, is poised to wreak havoc on the Gulf Coast, posing a significant threat to both Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula and Florida’s densely populated west coast. As Milton barrels towards the region, over a million people have been ordered to evacuate from its path, a stark reminder of the devastating Hurricane Helene that ravaged the area less than two weeks ago.
The US National Hurricane Center projects that Milton will likely make landfall near the Tampa Bay metropolitan area on Wednesday, a region home to over 3 million people. Many residents, still grappling with the wreckage left by Helene, are now scrambling to evacuate, creating a frantic rush to dispose of debris and secure their homes.
What makes this storm particularly concerning is its unusual eastward trajectory. Unlike typical Gulf hurricanes that originate in the Caribbean Sea and move westward before turning north, Milton has taken an unexpected path, directly targeting the western coast of Florida.
“It is exceedingly rare for a hurricane to form in the western Gulf, track eastward, and make landfall on the western coast of Florida,” explained Jonathan Lin, an atmospheric scientist at Cornell University. “This has big implications since the track of the storm plays a role in determining where the storm surge will be the largest.”
The Hurricane Center warns of potential storm surges reaching 10 to 15 feet (3 to 4.5 meters) along a stretch of coastline north and south of Tampa Bay. Jamie Rhome, deputy director of the National Hurricane Center, emphasized that Milton is expected to grow in size before making landfall, expanding the danger zone for potentially catastrophic storm surges to hundreds of miles of coastline.
Rhome reassured the public that Milton is likely to remain a hurricane for its entire journey across the Florida peninsula, but the potential for significant damage remains high.
As of 10 pm CDT on Monday (0300 GMT on Tuesday), the eye of the storm was located 35 miles (60 km) north-northwest of Progreso, a Mexican port near the Yucatan state capital of Merida, and 630 miles (1,015 km) southwest of Tampa, moving east at 9 mph (15 kph). Milton is expected to pummel the northern edge of the Yucatan Peninsula in the early hours of Tuesday, impacting the picturesque colonial-era city of Merida, home to 1.2 million people, several Maya ruins popular with tourists, and the port of Progreso.
In Florida, counties along the western coast have issued mandatory evacuation orders for residents in low-lying areas, urging them to seek shelter on higher ground. Pinellas County, which includes St. Petersburg, has ordered the evacuation of over 500,000 people, while Lee County has issued a mandatory evacuation for 416,000 residents. At least six other coastal counties, including Hillsborough County, which includes the city of Tampa, have also issued evacuation orders.
With just one day left for people to evacuate on Tuesday, local officials are voicing concerns about potential traffic jams and long lines at gas stations as residents scramble to escape the approaching storm.
Relief efforts are still ongoing throughout much of the US Southeast in the wake of Hurricane Helene, a Category-4 hurricane that made landfall in Florida on Sept. 26, resulting in over 300 deaths and billions of dollars in damage across six states. The impact of Helene continues to reverberate across the region, adding to the urgency of the situation as Milton approaches.
