Florida braces for impact as Hurricane Milton nears landfall
While many areas of the southeastern United States are still reeling from Hurricane Helene, a new storm is approaching from the Gulf of Mexico. Hurricane Milton, currently classified as a category 4 hurricane, is projected to make landfall in Florida as soon as Wednesday night (October 9).
According to The Weather Channel:
“Hurricane Milton will make landfall in Florida tonight into early Thursday where it poses a major threat to life and property as it hammers the state with destructive storm surge, devastating wind damage, potentially catastrophic flooding rainfall and several tornadoes.”
Mass evacuations are underway in the state of Florida
Hurricane Milton will be the first major hurricane to directly hit the Tampa Bay region in more than 100 years. The storm’s winds are estimated to reach up to 145 mph, and the storm surge could be as high as 15 feet in some coastal areas.
In anticipation of the extreme conditions, Florida safety officers called for mass evacuations and discouraged any residents from staying behind.
Governor Ron Desantis issued evacuation orders for 51 Florida counties. Kevin Guthrie, the Director of Emergency Management in Florida, issued a plea to residents ahead of the storm:
“I beg you. I implore you. Drowning deaths due to storm surge are 100% preventable if you leave.”
Some suggested places to evacuate if you are in the danger zone path of #HurricaneMilton pic.twitter.com/KzVhJV994n
— Dylan Raines (@RainesCampaign) October 8, 2024
The International Space Station flies over Hurricane Milton
The International Space Station (ISS) has flown over the growing hurricane twice in the last 48 hours. Astronaut Matthew Dominick shared the incredible view from the window of Dragon Freedom, a vessel currently docked on the ISS. The vantage point of 254 miles above Earth’s surface reveals the massive scale of the storm.
On the second pass by this morning (October 9), Dominick noted that Milton appeared to be larger but less symmetrical than yesterday.
We flew over Hurricane Milton again today about an hour ago. It was not as symmetric as yesterday but it appeared larger today. pic.twitter.com/373GWmNcA6
— Matthew Dominick (@dominickmatthew) October 9, 2024
Additionally, the astronaut shared a timelapse video as they soared over Hurricane Milton. See it below!