HURRICANE Milton has spawned two major tornadoes in Florida just hours before the 155km/h storm makes landfall.
Locals have been told their home is a “coffin” as the Category 4 hurricane will bring 15-foot waves that could completely submerge homes in parts of the state.
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Image of one of two tornadoes spawned by Hurricane Milton that crossed Interstate 75 in the Florida EvergladesCredit: Twitter/@accuweather
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Amazing satellite images show Hurricane Milton closing in on Florida as it continues to circle across the Gulf of MexicoCredit: ZUMA
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The storm is currently north of CubaCredit: NOAA
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Highways were gridlocked as millions of Floridians evacuated their homesCredit: EPA
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An AquaFence flood wall has been installed around Tampa General HospitalCredit: AFP
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Satellite images of the storm show it approaching FloridaCredit: National Hurricane Center
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Two large tornadoes were filmed crossing Interstate 75 in the Florida Everglades around 10 a.m. local time – and were seen moving north between the towns of Miles City and Andytown.
Milton is bearing down on the state with 155 mph winds as the “storm of the century” prepares to hit Florida.
The hurricane is now a Category 4 hurricane after weakening very slightly from 160 mph winds overnight.
It is expected to remain a Category 4 storm as it makes landfall south of Tampa at 2 a.m. Thursday.
Residents who choose to stay were told by officers to write their names on their arms in permanent ink so their bodies could be easily identified.
As the hurricane approaches land, the intensity of the storm will increase, increasing the risk of tornadoes forming ahead of the main storm.
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More than three million people are now at risk from severe thunderstorms, with tornadoes also possible, the National Storm Prediction Center (SPC) warns.
As the storm approaches Florida’s Gulf Coast, officials are repeating calls for residents to evacuate immediately.
The National Weather Service has issued a tornado warning for Florida south of Tampa to the Florida Keys.
He says tornadoes are “likely,” hail up to half an inch is possible, and gusts of 70 mph are likely tonight until 9 p.m.
That could expose 12 million in cities like Miami to extreme conditions.
His mental conditions will only get worse after that.
Storm chasers hit by Hurricane Milton as they fly plane into 100 mph waves toward Florida
Hurricane Milton is expected to make landfall south of Tampa, prompting city officials to erect flood barriers around Tampa General Hospital.
The fence successfully protected the facility from the floodwaters of Hurricane Helena about two weeks ago.
The hospital, which is located directly on the city’s waterfront, is set to remain open and is erecting an AquaFence to try to withstand the surge.
The hospital has an on-site power plant, a five-day supply of food and staff trained in emergency management to weather the storm.
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A rainbow is seen as sea waves hit the Malecon in Havana due to the passage of Hurricane Milton on October 9 Credit: AFp
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Young people run in stormy rain in Havana due to the passage of Hurricane MiltonCredit: AFP
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Store shelves in Kissimmee, Florida are empty of bottled waterCredit: AFP
Tampa Mayor Jane Castor warned the city’s nearly 400,000 residents to evacuate immediately.
She told CNN: “I can say this without any dramatization: If you choose to stay in one of those evacuation areas, you will die.”
She said the 15-foot storm surge predicted for the city would be deep enough to swallow the house.
Castor said, “So if you’re in it, it’s actually a coffin you’re in.”
The hurricane brought the state’s tourism industry to its knees, cruise ships were unable to dock, evacuations were ordered and flights were canceled.
And Florida’s attorney general has hinted desperately that if residents remain, writing their names on their hands would make it easier to later identify the bodies.
Ashley Moody made the scathing comment at a press conference with Republican Sen. Rick Scott on Monday while addressing residents who are opposing the evacuation orders.
It comes as…
- Hurricane Milton with 155 mph winds and 15-foot storm surge will make a direct hit on Florida
- A heart-stopping moment strikes the intrepid boffin Milton as they fly into the eye of the storm
- ‘Price gouging’ hotels criticized for charging Hurricane Milton evacuees $600 per night
- Publix has been forced to change store hours at 500 locations and close some stores entirely
- Watch the moment when sick passengers are transported by helicopter from a stranded cruise ship
Disney World and Universal Studios in Orlando are also closing in preparation for the storm.
People are intrepidly captured arriving at Walt Disney World as Hurricane Milton approaches Florida.
There are fears that Milton will be West Florida’s version of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 or Hurricane Harvey in 2017.
Katrina killed 1,400 people and caused $125 billion in damage to the US economy.
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Residents install plywood over their homes
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Some of Tampa’s freeways are built over waterCredit: Weather Channel
Milton is expected to be a Category 4 low when it makes landfall – putting its winds at the bottom of the 130-156mph range.
US President Joe Biden said those who remain in their homes face “a matter of life and death”.
He said, “This could be the worst storm to hit Florida in over a century, and God willing, it won’t be, but that’s the way it looks right now.”
Traffic links out of Central Florida are chaotic or completely blocked as people try to flee to safety.
Sheriff Chad Chronister of Hillsborough County, which includes Tampa, said they have already seen flooding in the city.
He told CNN: “This is the 11th hour. If you are in an evacuation zone, now is the time to get out.”
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Members of the Florida Army National Guard are checking for any remaining residents
International airport of St. Pete-Clearwater turns into a mandatory evacuation zone after the last flight takes off today.
Orlando Airport has suspended all operations as of 8 a.m. today.
More than 4,600 inmates have also been moved because of Milton, according to the Florida Department of Corrections.
Thousands of terrified residents tried to flee toward Miami as highways remained at a standstill.
Tampa’s main airport closed at 9 a.m. Tuesday, and officials said it will remain empty until weather conditions improve.
Florida is already flooded after Hurricane Helene hit two weeks ago, meaning no more rain will drain into the ground.
The sharks were swimming through the streets of the bay city of Punta Gorda just two weeks ago when Hurricane Helene hit them.
Officials said they were still discovering bodies on the beach they could not identify after they believed they would be able to ride out the storm.
What is a hurricane and how does it form?
A HURRICANE is another name for a tropical cyclone – a powerful storm that forms over warm ocean waters near the equator.
Those that form in the Atlantic or eastern Pacific are called hurricanes, while those in the western Pacific and Indian Ocean are called typhoons or cyclones.
North of the equator they spin counterclockwise due to the Earth’s rotation, however, in the southern hemisphere they spin in the opposite direction.
Cyclones are like huge weather engines powered by water vapor evaporating from the sea.
Warm, moist air rises from the surface, creating a low pressure system that sucks in air from surrounding areas – which in turn warms the ocean.
As the vapor rises, it cools and condenses into swirling bands of cumulonimbus storm clouds.
The system grows and spins faster, sucking in more air and feeding on the energy of seawater heated by the sun.
A calm “eye” of the storm forms in the center where cooled air sinks toward the ultra-low pressure zone below, surrounded by spiral winds of rising warm air.
The faster the wind, the lower the air pressure in the center, and the storm gets stronger and stronger.
Tropical cyclones usually weaken when they make landfall because they are no longer fed by evaporation from warm seas.
But they often move far inland – dumping huge amounts of rain and causing devastating wind damage – before the “fuel” runs out and the storm ends.
Hurricanes can also cause storm surges when low air pressure raises sea levels higher than normal, flooding low-lying coasts.
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Debris left by Hurricane Helene is still piled up in the streetsCredit: AFP
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A science plane flying through the storm captured this image through the window Credit: Twitter
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Traffic cameras caught the gridlock as people tried to flee coastal areas in FloridaCredit: FDOT
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Source: HIS Education