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Milton strengthens to category 5 hurricane, US NHC says
Milton is the second Atlantic storm to reach Category 5 this season after Beryl, which in July became the earliest storm to reach that distinction.
People move a fishing boat away from the water as Hurricane Milton advances, in Progreso, Mexico, October 7, 2024. / REUTERS/Lorenzo Hernandez
Milton has rapidly intensified into a category 5 hurricane, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said on Oct. 7.
Milton is located about 735 miles (1175 km) southwest of Tampa, Florida, with maximum sustained winds of 160 mph (250 kph), the Miami-based forecaster said.
Milton is the second Atlantic storm to reach Category 5 this season after Beryl, which in July became the earliest storm to reach that distinction.
On Monday, 6.5 million people living from Tallahassee to Miami were under hurricane, storm-surge and flood advisories. Local officials issued evacuation orders for parts of several counties and planned to issue more later on Oct. 7, urging residents to prepare to flee if needed.
"If they have issued an evacuation order, I beg you, I implore you, to evacuate," Florida Division of Emergency Management director Kevin Guthrie said.
Florida was preemptively bringing truckloads of food, water, generators and gasoline to areas expected to be hit, while officials were preparing to open shelters. Heavy-duty vehicles were deployed to remove storm debris and 5,000 National Guard troops were on standby, DeSantis said.
The storm will bring intense rain Oct. 7 and 8 to swathes of Mexico's eastern coastline and torrential downpours over the states of Campeche and Yucatan, Mexico's weather authority said, as Milton approached the port of Progreso.
In Yucatan, Governor Joaquín Diaz Mena suspended classes from 1 p.m. on Monday as Milton intensified. Authorities in the city of Merida urged residents to stock up on supplies.
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