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- Aug 2, 2021
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Hurricane Milton has weakened further and is now a Category 1 hurricane, according to the US National Hurricane Center’s (NHC) latest advisory.
The storm struck Florida as a Category 3 storm late on Wednesday after weakening from a Category 5 storm, leaving more than three million homes and businesses without power and causing an unknown numbers of deaths.
Hurricane still producing damaging winds and heavy rains: NHC
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) has shared a few key messages on X:
1. There is a danger of life-threatening storm surge along the coast from east-central Florida northward to southern Georgia, where a storm surge warning remains in effect.
2. Damaging hurricane-force winds, especially in gusts, will continue for a few more hours in east-central and northeastern Florida. Residents are urged to remain in an interior room and away from windows.
3. Heavy rainfall across the central to northern Florida Peninsula through this morning continues to bring the risk of considerable flash and urban flooding along with moderate to major river flooding, especially in areas where coastal and inland flooding combine to increase the overall flood threat.
Travel dangerous as Milton moves through, sheriff’s office warns
In Sarasota County, “first-in” emergency crews are reporting downed power lines and trees on roadways, the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office said in a social media post.
Some bridges in the county were not passable after Hurricane Milton made landfall near Siesta Key, a barrier island off Sarasota.
The sheriff’s office urged residents and business owners to stay off the roads to allow emergency and utility crews to work. “The storm may have passed but it is still dangerous to be traveling this morning,” the sheriff’s office said.
Only Glades, Palm Beach county, Lake Okeechobee under storm warning
National Weather Service Miami-South Florida has said on X that as of 5am (09:00 GMT), only portions of Glades and Palm Beach counties as well as Lake Okeechobee remain under a tropical storm warning for the gusts
The National Weather Service Miami-South Florida has shared a preliminary infographic on X, tracking the path of numerous tornadoes that hit southern Florida on Wednesday.
“Several confirmed tornadoes developed yesterday associated with Milton,” it said. “Five of seven tornadoes have been confirmed via photographic or video evidence.”
Analysis
Oliver Carpenter, director of Environmental Risk, Resilience, a University of Cambridge Centre for Risk Studies spinout, has told Al Jazeera that climate change is affecting hurricane activity in the North Atlantic.
“[It is] supercharging them to be more destructive and increasing the risk of major damage. Tropical cyclones occur naturally, but climate change is fueling warmer ocean and air temperatures which is driving more intense, larger, and longer-lasting storms,” he said.
“This is a non-linear effect with small changes in temperatures leading to large changes in wind speed and rainfall. Even minor increases in wind speed and rainfall can result in significantly higher destruction. For example, damage caused by hurricanes scales with the cube of wind speed.
“This brings into sharp focus the preparedness of coastal communities and resilience to weather such extreme storms.
Hurricane moving off Florida’s east coast: NHC
The National Hurricane Center says Milton is moving off Florida’s east coast. “Still producing damaging hurricane-force winds and heavy rainfall in east-central Florida,” it said on X.
Rainfall of 200-350 mm is expected across central to northern portions of the Florida peninsula on Thursday.
“This rainfall will continue to bring the risk of catastrophic and life-threatening flash and urban flooding, along with moderate to major river flooding,” the hurricane agency said.
WATCH: Heavy winds, floods as Hurricane Milton makes landfall
Videos from Florida show Hurricane Milton making landfall with winds of more than 200km/h (124mph) causing flooding, destruction and power cuts.
Heavy winds and flooding as Hurricane Milton makes landfall in Us
More than 3 million people without power: Tracker
More than 3 million people in Florida are without power as of 3:58am (07:58 GMT), according to Poweroutage.us, which tracks supplies.
The worst-affected areas are on its west coast, especially Hardee, Manatee, Sarasota, Charlotte and Hillsborough.
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Milton is expected to tear inland, with tourist hub Orlando – home to Disney World, which has closed for the storm – in its path.
The storm was expected to cross the Florida peninsula overnight and emerge into the Atlantic, still with hurricane force, on Thursday.
Milton is forecast to maintain hurricane intensity while crossing Florida later on Thursday morning but after moving into the Atlantic, it is likely to gradually lose tropical characteristics and slowly weaken, the National Hurricane Center said.
Scientists say extreme rainfall and destructive storms are occurring with greater severity and frequency as temperatures rise due to climate change. As warmer ocean surfaces release more water vapour, they provide more energy for storms as they form.
Brooke Silverang, meteorologist at WPBF25 TV news channel covering Palm Beaches and Treasure Coast has shared a video on X showing damaged properties in Avenir neighbourhood in Palm Beach Gardens following a tornado.
“Over 160 tornado warnings from midnight to 6 PM [on Wednesday] across Florida,” she wrote.
The local channel posted more videos of the extensive damage and a view of the tornado: Hurricane continues to move northeast across peninsula: NHC
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) says: “A flash food emergency continues over portions of west-central Florida.
“Hurricane Milton continues to move east-northeast across the Florida Peninsula,” it wrote on X.
What does the hurricane look like from space?
The International Space Station has shared photos of the hurricane on X, taken from space on Tuesday when it was off the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula.
Astronaut Matthew Dominick also shared a time lapse video of the hurricane from Wednesday.
“Storm looks bigger but less symmetric than yesterday,” he wrote.
More than 2.8 million people without power: Tracker
More than 2.85 million people in Florida are without power as of 2:36am (6:36 GMT), according to Poweroutage.us, which tracks supplies.
The worst-affected states are on its west coast, especially Hardee, Manatee, Sarasota, Charlotte and Hillsborough counties
Of 9,640 electricity customers tracked in Hardee, 9,403 were out of power, it said.
‘Knockout for those punched during Hurricane Helene’
“This is it, folks,” said Cathie Perkins, emergency management director in Pinellas County, which sits on the peninsula that forms Tampa Bay.
“Those of you who were punched during Hurricane Helene, this is going to be a knockout. You need to get out, and you need to get out now.”
Florida resident Jackie Curnick said she wrestled with her decision to stay at home in Sarasota, just north of where the storm made landfall.
Source: Aljazeera
The storm struck Florida as a Category 3 storm late on Wednesday after weakening from a Category 5 storm, leaving more than three million homes and businesses without power and causing an unknown numbers of deaths.
Hurricane still producing damaging winds and heavy rains: NHC
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) has shared a few key messages on X:
1. There is a danger of life-threatening storm surge along the coast from east-central Florida northward to southern Georgia, where a storm surge warning remains in effect.
2. Damaging hurricane-force winds, especially in gusts, will continue for a few more hours in east-central and northeastern Florida. Residents are urged to remain in an interior room and away from windows.
3. Heavy rainfall across the central to northern Florida Peninsula through this morning continues to bring the risk of considerable flash and urban flooding along with moderate to major river flooding, especially in areas where coastal and inland flooding combine to increase the overall flood threat.
Travel dangerous as Milton moves through, sheriff’s office warns
In Sarasota County, “first-in” emergency crews are reporting downed power lines and trees on roadways, the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office said in a social media post.
Some bridges in the county were not passable after Hurricane Milton made landfall near Siesta Key, a barrier island off Sarasota.
The sheriff’s office urged residents and business owners to stay off the roads to allow emergency and utility crews to work. “The storm may have passed but it is still dangerous to be traveling this morning,” the sheriff’s office said.
Only Glades, Palm Beach county, Lake Okeechobee under storm warning
National Weather Service Miami-South Florida has said on X that as of 5am (09:00 GMT), only portions of Glades and Palm Beach counties as well as Lake Okeechobee remain under a tropical storm warning for the gusts
The National Weather Service Miami-South Florida has shared a preliminary infographic on X, tracking the path of numerous tornadoes that hit southern Florida on Wednesday.
“Several confirmed tornadoes developed yesterday associated with Milton,” it said. “Five of seven tornadoes have been confirmed via photographic or video evidence.”
Analysis
Oliver Carpenter, director of Environmental Risk, Resilience, a University of Cambridge Centre for Risk Studies spinout, has told Al Jazeera that climate change is affecting hurricane activity in the North Atlantic.
“[It is] supercharging them to be more destructive and increasing the risk of major damage. Tropical cyclones occur naturally, but climate change is fueling warmer ocean and air temperatures which is driving more intense, larger, and longer-lasting storms,” he said.
“This is a non-linear effect with small changes in temperatures leading to large changes in wind speed and rainfall. Even minor increases in wind speed and rainfall can result in significantly higher destruction. For example, damage caused by hurricanes scales with the cube of wind speed.
“This brings into sharp focus the preparedness of coastal communities and resilience to weather such extreme storms.
Hurricane moving off Florida’s east coast: NHC
The National Hurricane Center says Milton is moving off Florida’s east coast. “Still producing damaging hurricane-force winds and heavy rainfall in east-central Florida,” it said on X.
Rainfall of 200-350 mm is expected across central to northern portions of the Florida peninsula on Thursday.
“This rainfall will continue to bring the risk of catastrophic and life-threatening flash and urban flooding, along with moderate to major river flooding,” the hurricane agency said.
WATCH: Heavy winds, floods as Hurricane Milton makes landfall
Videos from Florida show Hurricane Milton making landfall with winds of more than 200km/h (124mph) causing flooding, destruction and power cuts.
Heavy winds and flooding as Hurricane Milton makes landfall in Us
More than 3 million people without power: Tracker
More than 3 million people in Florida are without power as of 3:58am (07:58 GMT), according to Poweroutage.us, which tracks supplies.
The worst-affected areas are on its west coast, especially Hardee, Manatee, Sarasota, Charlotte and Hillsborough.
multiculturalism, South America’s geopolitical rise—we bring you the stories that matter.
By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy
Milton is expected to tear inland, with tourist hub Orlando – home to Disney World, which has closed for the storm – in its path.
The storm was expected to cross the Florida peninsula overnight and emerge into the Atlantic, still with hurricane force, on Thursday.
Milton is forecast to maintain hurricane intensity while crossing Florida later on Thursday morning but after moving into the Atlantic, it is likely to gradually lose tropical characteristics and slowly weaken, the National Hurricane Center said.
Scientists say extreme rainfall and destructive storms are occurring with greater severity and frequency as temperatures rise due to climate change. As warmer ocean surfaces release more water vapour, they provide more energy for storms as they form.
Brooke Silverang, meteorologist at WPBF25 TV news channel covering Palm Beaches and Treasure Coast has shared a video on X showing damaged properties in Avenir neighbourhood in Palm Beach Gardens following a tornado.
“Over 160 tornado warnings from midnight to 6 PM [on Wednesday] across Florida,” she wrote.
The local channel posted more videos of the extensive damage and a view of the tornado: Hurricane continues to move northeast across peninsula: NHC
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) says: “A flash food emergency continues over portions of west-central Florida.
“Hurricane Milton continues to move east-northeast across the Florida Peninsula,” it wrote on X.
What does the hurricane look like from space?
The International Space Station has shared photos of the hurricane on X, taken from space on Tuesday when it was off the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula.
Astronaut Matthew Dominick also shared a time lapse video of the hurricane from Wednesday.
“Storm looks bigger but less symmetric than yesterday,” he wrote.
More than 2.8 million people without power: Tracker
More than 2.85 million people in Florida are without power as of 2:36am (6:36 GMT), according to Poweroutage.us, which tracks supplies.
The worst-affected states are on its west coast, especially Hardee, Manatee, Sarasota, Charlotte and Hillsborough counties
Of 9,640 electricity customers tracked in Hardee, 9,403 were out of power, it said.
‘Knockout for those punched during Hurricane Helene’
“This is it, folks,” said Cathie Perkins, emergency management director in Pinellas County, which sits on the peninsula that forms Tampa Bay.
“Those of you who were punched during Hurricane Helene, this is going to be a knockout. You need to get out, and you need to get out now.”
Florida resident Jackie Curnick said she wrestled with her decision to stay at home in Sarasota, just north of where the storm made landfall.
Source: Aljazeera