Hurricane Milton is now moving into the Atlantic Ocean after tearing through Florida, leaving behind a trail of destruction.
The storm claimed at least five lives and worsened the damage left by Hurricane Helene just two weeks earlier, though it narrowly avoided delivering a direct blow to Tampa.
Milton weakened before landfall, striking Siesta Key, about 70 miles (113 km) south of Tampa, late Wednesday as a Category 3 hurricane.
Read Also: US Government Considers A Breakup Of Google
Despite the storm’s downgrade, it knocked out power to over three million customers and triggered multiple tornadoes.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis noted that while the storm caused significant damage and water levels may continue to rise for days, it was not “the worst-case scenario.”
Jennifer Francis, a senior scientist at the Woodwell Climate Research Center, explained to Al Jazeera that the increasing intensity of storms in the southeastern U.S. is partly driven by human-induced climate change.
Francis emphasized that the greenhouse gases trapping more heat near the Earth’s surface lead to warmer oceans, which fuel these storms.
“This extra energy strengthens the storms, causing them to intensify rapidly,” she said, adding that warmer waters provide more moisture, contributing to the heavier rainfall seen in recent hurricanes.
See photos below:
Frightening Video Of What Hurricane Milton Is Doing In Florida
The video below captures a frightening scene from the current Hurricane Milton being faced in Florida, United States of America.
Hurricane Milton is one of the most powerful storms to form in the Atlantic in recent years.
The National Hurricane Center has issued warnings that Milton will make landfall late Wednesday night or early Thursday morning as an “extremely dangerous major hurricane.”
With winds reaching up to 145 mph (233 km/h), the storm is expected to bring flash flooding, torrential rain, and dangerous storm surges to Florida.
Read Also: Harris Campaign Hits $1bn In Fundraising – Reports
Millions of residents are urgently evacuating as the Category 4 hurricane approaches the state’s coastline.
Milton’s arrival comes less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene wreaked havoc on the Gulf Coast, claiming at least 225 lives across Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and North Carolina.
On 5 October, Hurricane Milton began as a tropical storm in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico.
The following day, its wind speed rapidly intensified, and by 7 October, it had strengthened to a Category 5 hurricane.
Read Also: Attack On Iran Will Be ‘Deadly, Precise And Surprising’ – Israel Minister
Milton’s winds surged from 80 mph (129 km/h) to an astonishing 175 mph (282 km/h) within just 24 hours, making it one of the fastest-intensifying Atlantic storms on record.
A hurricane forms when a weather disturbance, such as a thunderstorm, draws in warm surface air from all directions.
As seawater evaporates, it is pulled upward by the converging winds.
The rising water vapor cools and condenses into clouds and rain, while more warm, moist air spirals up from the surface to take its place.
Experts warn that warmer ocean temperatures lead to more intense hurricanes, fueling their strength and severity.
See video below:
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaihFajBadmT29ufud2Z
