Topline

Hurricane Milton intensified into a Category 5 hurricane over the Gulf of Mexico late Monday morning as it barreled toward the Florida Gulf coast, less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene killed at least 20 people in Florida before causing devastating flooding across parts of the southeastern U.S.

Key Facts

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Big Number

15 million. That’s how many people are under flood watches in Florida, and 11 million are at risk for tropical tornadoes Tuesday and Wednesday.

Where Have Evacuations Been Ordered?

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Saturday declared a state of emergency for 35 counties, including all of the Tampa Bay area and on said Sunday evening a “flurry” of evacuation orders would be issued over the next 24 hours. According to the Associated Press, Milton could trigger the biggest spate of evacuation orders in the state since 2017’s Hurricane Irma—where 7 million people were urged to leave their homes. Hillsborough County, home to Tampa, ordered evacuations for areas near Tampa Bay and for all mobile and manufactured homes by Tuesday night. Lee County, home to Fort Meyers, issued a mandary evacuation order for the island of Fort Myers Beach and further orders could still come.

Is Hurricane Milton Impact

Tampa International Airport will close at 9 a.m. Tuesday and plans to reopen “as soon as it is safe” later this week. Major U.S. airlines, including American, Delta, Southwest, United and JetBlue, are issuing travel waivers that will allow passengers flying through impacted airports to rebook without paying far differences. American Airlines’ travel alert covers 12 airports in Florida, Delta’s covers nine and Frontier covers eight. United Airlines’ advisory covers travel to and from only five airports—Key West, Orlando, Fort Myers, Sarasota/Bradenton and Tampa.

Could Hurricane Milton Become A Category 6 Hurricane?

There is no such thing as a Category 6 hurricane. The National Hurricane Center uses the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale to classify storms, which ranks only up to a Category 5 and defines those storms as having sustained winds at or greater than 157 mph. Earlier this year, researchers with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Space Science and Engineering Center argued for adding a sixth storm category as climate change continues to intensify weather events. Under their proposal, Category 5 hurricanes would be redefined to encompass storms with sustained wind speeds between 157 and 192 mph and a new Category 6 would describe storms with wind speeds above 192 mph.

Key Background

Milton is expected to arrive less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene, a major Category 4 storm, hit Florida on Sept. 26. Helene was the hardest hit for the Tampa Bay area from a hurricane in 103 years, according to the Associated Press. Despite staying offshore, Helene inundated parts of the area with several feet of storm surge. At least 20 people died in Florida from the storm, which then traveled 500 miles across the Southeastern U.S. and caused heavy flooding in the Carolinas, Georgia, Virginia and Tennessee. At least 230 people across six states died as a result of the hurricane, which was the deadliest to hit the continental U.S. since Katrina in 2005. Helene made landfall near Perry, Florida, approximately 160 miles north of Tampa, with winds of 140 mph before it was downgraded to a tropical storm as it moved northward.

Surprising Fact

Milton will be the fifth hurricane to make landfall in the U.S. this year, as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts 2024 will be one of the busiest hurricane seasons on record, estimating 8 to 13 hurricanes and between 4 and 7 major hurricanes.

Mary Whitfill Roeloffs contributed to this report.

Further Reading

Hurricane Milton: Airlines Issue Alerts For Category-5 Storm (Forbes)

Marjorie Taylor Greene Appears To Claim Democrats ‘Control The Weather’—After Hurricane Helene Strikes Southeast (Forbes)

Trump FEMA Claim Debunked: Agency Not Running Out Of Money Because Of Migrants (Forbes)

Trump And Allies Claim Biden/Harris Response To Hurricane Helene Falls Short (Forbes)