Milton rapidly intensifies into powerful Category 5 hurricane

Hurricane Milton has rapidly intensified into a powerful Category 5 storm in the Gulf of Mexico, making it one of the strongest hurricanes ever recorded as it barrels towards Florida, according to forecasters.

The National Hurricane Center said in an update at 5 p.m. on Monday that Milton’s maximum sustained winds had increased to 180 miles per hour (285 km/h), making it an extremely dangerous Category 5 hurricane and one of the strongest on record.

“Milton could strengthen even more tonight with light shear and very warm waters providing a conducive environment,” NHC forecaster Eric Blake said. “However, radar data indicate that Milton could be at the beginning of an eyewall replacement cycle, with some signs of a moat and a partial outer eyewall. The evolution will likely cause the system to gradually weaken on Tuesday but grow larger.”

As of 5 p.m. ET on Monday, the center of Hurricane Milton was located about 80 miles (125 km) northwest of Pregreso on Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, or 675 miles (1,085 km) southwest of Tampa, Florida. It’s moving east at 10 miles per hour (17 km/h).

Hurricane and tropical storm warnings are in effect along Florida’s western coast, with the Tampa area expected to be particularly hard hit.

“If Milton stays on its course this will be the most powerful hurricane to hit Tampa Bay in over 100 years,” the National Weather Service in Tampa Bay said in its forecast on Monday afternoon. “No one in the area has ever experienced a hurricane this strong before.”

Blake shared a similar view: “Residents in Florida should closely follow the orders from their local emergency management officials, as Milton has the potential to be one of the most destructive hurricanes on record for west-central Florida.”

In addition to damaging hurricane-force winds, Milton is expected to generate a large area of destructive storm surge along the west coast of Florida and up to 15 feet in the Tampa area.