It reaches Category 3 strength as it bears down on Florida

The Extreme Weather Category 5 Hurricane Milton, Florida, Prepared for the Biggest evacuation in Florida, and Public Schools in Pinellas County

Hurricane Milton strengthened into a Category 5 storm today, becoming one of the most rapidly intensifying storms ever in the history of the Atlantic hurricane season.

The storm is about 165 miles west-northwest of Progreso, Mexico, and about 745 miles west-southwest of Tampa. Parts of the west coast of the Florida Peninsula are under warnings and watches with the exception of the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula, which is under a hurricane warning.

On Monday and Tuesday, Milton is expected to move north of the peninsula before crossing the eastern Gulf of Mexico and hitting the west coast of Florida by Wednesday.

Even so, forecasters warn that it is likely to be a “large and powerful hurricane at landfall in Florida, with life-threatening hazards along portions of the coastline.”

There is a chance that there will be life threatening storm surge and damaging winds in parts of Florida from late Tuesday or early Wednesday. It could raise water levels to 12 feet in some areas in Florida and it could do the same in other areas.

“Residents in that area should follow any advice given by local officials and evacuate if told to do so,” the NHC said, referring to the west coast of the peninsula.

Ron DeSantis has expanded an emergency declaration to include 51 of the state’s 67 counties, warning people to prepare.

He urged people not to get wedded to the cone. Even if you live outside of the forecast cone, you need to be prepared for potential impacts. We recommend following the order from your local officials.

The Director of the Emergency Management in Florida said on Sunday that the state is preparing for the largest Hurricane Evacuation that the state has ever seen, and resulted in statewide traffic jams.

He said that it was better for inland residents who didn’t live in anevacuation zone to stay in place, since they wouldn’t need electricity for medical needs.

All of Pinellas County’s residential healthcare facilities have been declared to be in certain zones, including the low-lying areas.

There are many people still recovering from the storm, so they need to take into account their reserves of water, food and pet food. Do they need to buy new batteries? Have they restocked their supply kits to last each family member up to seven days?

It states that many public school districts will be closed from Monday to Wednesday, and that the campus of Florida Gulf Coast University will close for two days after shifting to remote operations.

Georgia, and the Carolinas, are expected to escape the worst of the storm’s fury because it is expected to exit into the ocean.

More than 220 people were killed by the first hurricanes to hit the mainland US in over a decade. According to the Associated Press, most of the victims were in North Carolina, where historic flooding destroyed entire communities.

Abnormally warm water in the Gulf of Mexico, fueled by human-caused climate change, has made it easier for hurricanes to strengthen rapidly and bring even more wind and rain ashore.

It is the first time that three simultaneous hurricanes have been recorded in the Atlantic Ocean after September. In addition to Milton, Hurricanes Kirk and Leslie are also brewing.

This is almost three times as fast as the threshold is used. This is definitely off the charts according to a climate scientist at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Only Hurricane Wilma in 2005 and Hurricane Felix in 2007 have strengthened more rapidly than that, the NHC says.

The Tampa International Airport as A Tropical Storm Prepares for Next-Generation Airborne Traffic in the Panhandle. On the Possible Effect of the Tropical Storm

School districts and government facilities in the area announced they would be closed for several days. The state and local officials have made it very clear to the residents that they need to stay in the mandatory evacuation zones.

“You don’t have to evacuate hundreds of miles,” Gov. Ron DeSantis has said. “Every county has places within them that you can go to. Maybe it’s a hotel, maybe it’s a shelter, maybe it’s a friend’s house.

Air travel into and around Florida is being disrupted by a tropical storm. The Tampa International Airport said it was pausing flights beginning Tuesday morning. The FAA said on X that it was closely monitoring the path of the storm, as well as advising travelers to check their airlines’ websites.