Hurricane Milton, a powerful and expanding storm that has fluctuated between a Category 4 and 5 as it churns in the Gulf of Mexico, is set to be a "historic storm for the west coast of Florida," according to the National Weather Service in Tampa Bay.
Milton is approaching Florida with sustained winds of 155 miles per hour, the National Hurricane Center said Wednesday morning. The storm is currently forecast to make landfall near Sarasota, Florida, as a Category 4 storm, according to CBS News meteorologist Nikki Nolan.
It will be the third hurricane to make landfall in Florida in the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, following Hurricane Helene two weeks ago and Hurricane Debby in early August. If it lands as a Category 4 storm, it will be the second one to do so this season, following Helene.
Despite the fluctuations in strength, Milton is the quickest storm on record to rapidly intensify into a Category 5 in the Gulf of Mexico, according to CBS News meteorologist Nikki Nolan. On Sunday, the system was a tropical storm, moving at 60 miles per hour. Just 24 hours later, the wind speeds had leapt to 175 miles per hour, far above the Category 5 threshold of 157 mph.
Rapid intensification refers to a storm's wind speeds increasing by more than 58 miles per hour in a 24-hour window. From 1980 to 2023, 177 Atlantic hurricanes that made landfall have rapidly intensified. About 80% of Category 3-5 hurricanes undergo this process.
Climate change fuels stronger storms
Milton is the strongest storm to form since Hurricane Dorian, which struck the Bahamas and parts of the Southeast in 2019. It is also the second tropical system of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season to reach Category 5 strength, behind Hurricane Beryl.
Human-caused climate change is making it easier for hurricanes to rapidly intensify into more powerful storms, which often bring more coastal flooding and additional rainfall to areas miles from the coast, according to scientists.
Since April 2023, global sea surface temperatures have been hotter than any other period on record. Hotter oceans fuel stronger storms, and warmer sea surface temperatures amplify evaporation, transferring heat and water to the air, making hurricane winds stronger and increasing the rain they hold.
Li Cohen and Tracy J. Wholf contributed to this report.
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