Breaking all records, is Hurricane Milton the strongest superstorm on the planet?

According to FoxWeather, the US National Hurricane Center warned that Hurricane Milton could pose an "extremely serious threat" to Florida. Milton's maximum sustained winds were about 155 mph early Tuesday morning, making it a "strong" Category 4 storm.

Forecasters say Hurricane Milton has the potential to be one of the most destructive storms on record in west-central Florida, including the Tampa area, as millions of residents continue to prepare for life-threatening impacts and evacuate the coast and other low-lying areas ahead of the massive storm's landfall Wednesday night.

“It is important to emphasize that this is a very serious situation and Floridians should closely follow orders from local emergency management officials,” the NHC warned.

The NHC said the central pressure in Hurricane Milton has dropped to the second-lowest pressure ever recorded in the Gulf of Mexico and the lowest pressure in the Atlantic basin since 2005.

Superstorm Milton rapidly intensified, breaking all records. Photo: FoxWeather.

In terms of maximum sustained winds, Milton also became the strongest hurricane in the Atlantic basin since Hurricane Dorian in 2019 and tied for the fourth strongest since records began. Hurricane Allen held the top spot with maximum sustained winds of 190 mph in 1980.

In response to Hurricane Milton, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis declared a State of Emergency over the weekend for 51 of the state's 67 counties, and on Monday, President Joe Biden approved the state's request for a pre-landfall emergency declaration.

Meanwhile, according to Reuters, Hurricane Milton underwent rapid intensification and strengthened from a Category 1 storm to a near-record-breaking Category 5 storm with winds of 180 miles per hour and a minimum central pressure of 897 millibars.

"Although some fluctuations in intensity are expected, Milton is still forecast to be an extremely dangerous hurricane when it makes landfall in Florida," the NHC said.

The US National Hurricane Center predicts the storm is likely to make landfall near the Tampa Bay metropolitan area, home to more than 3 million people.

Fueled by warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico, Milton became the third fastest-strengthening hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic, the NHC said, growing from a tropical storm to a Category 5 hurricane in less than 24 hours.

Its west-to-east track is also unusual, as Gulf hurricanes typically form in the Caribbean Sea and make landfall after moving west and turning north.

“It’s very rare for a hurricane to form in the western Gulf, move east, and hit the west coast of Florida,” said Jonathan Lin, an atmospheric scientist at Cornell University. “This is significant because the track of a hurricane plays a major role in determining where the strongest storms will occur.”

On Reuters, Jamie Rhome, Deputy Director of the US National Hurricane Center, said that Milton is expected to increase in size before making landfall on Wednesday, putting hundreds of miles of coastline in danger due to rising sea levels.

In Florida, which was devastated by Hurricane Helene, counties along the west coast ordered people in low-lying areas to seek shelter on higher ground.

Relief efforts are ongoing across the Southeast United States in the wake of Hurricane Helene, a Category 4 storm that made landfall in Florida on September 26, killing more than 200 people and causing billions of dollars in damage across six states.

Source: https://danviet.vn/pha-vo-moi-ky-luc-bao-milton-co-phai-la-sieu-bao-manh-nhat-hanh-tinh-20241008193512011.htm