Hurricane Milton made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane Wednesday night around 8:30 p.m. near Siesta Key, Florida. The storm brought heavy rainfall, flooding, tornadoes, storm surge and strong winds for about eight hours before moving over the ocean north of Cape Canaveral as a Category 1 hurricane.
The hardest-hit areas included Sarasota, Fort Myers, St. Petersburg, St. Lucie and other cities on the Persian Gulf coast. Storm surge warnings were actually in place along Florida's east coast into Georgia's Altamaha Sound.
Hurricane Milton caused destruction in cities on the west, central and east coast of Florida.
Officials reported downed trees, storm surges, flooding, destroyed homes, damaged roads, downed power lines and damage to infrastructure, power and water systems and more.
As of 11 a.m. Thursday, nine deaths had been reported, although search and rescue operations had barely begun.
Officials warned that about 11 million people were at risk of flash floods and flooding after historic amounts of rain fell in some parts of the state. St. Petersburg received approximately 18 inches, as well as localized flooding. St. John's County also saw widespread flooding, causing some roads to become impassable, officials said.
As search and rescue operations continued Thursday morning, early reports showed about 125 homes, mostly mobile homes in senior communities, had been destroyed.
As of Thursday afternoon, more than 3.3 million Floridians were without power.
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Florida Gov. Milton also “spawned multiple tornadoes” in affected areas, Ron DeSantis said Thursday. “We anticipate that tornadoes will result in human casualties, and this affected the entire east coast of Florida,” he added.
There were four deaths reported in St. Lucie County on Florida's Atlantic coast from multiple tornadoes that struck there on Wednesday, officials said.
In the hours before Milton made landfall, the National Weather Service in Miami reported at least seven tornadoes and 53 tornado warnings were issued, 41 of which were issued by the Miami weather service. Miami.
Videos and photos posted online Wednesday showed several spotted tornadoes growing as they moved through South Florida.
Storm wave
While the massive storm surge predicted by authorities prior to Milton's arrival may not have been as bad as predicted, in some areas, such as parts of Sarasota County, storm surge depths of 8 to 10 feet were recorded.
On Thursday, DeSantis also said that while “the storm was significant … fortunately, it was not a worst-case scenario,” adding that “the storm weakened before landfall and the storm surge, as initially reported, was not overall as significant as expected to be observed.” in the case of Hurricane Helene.”
Often, a storm surge may occur, i.e. a rise in the sea water level caused by a storm, the greatest threat to life and property during a hurricane and lead to significant flood damage.
Tide is mainly caused by storm winds pushing water onto the shore. As a hurricane approaches the coast, winds push ocean water onto land, and atmospheric pressure from the storm also helps push water onto shore. The shallower the continental shelf, the greater the risk of a dangerous rising tide, and rising tides become even more dangerous when they coincide with high tide.
The water is heavy – about 1,700 pounds (770 kg) per cubic yard (0.76 cubic meters) – and can move quickly in a rising tide, sweeping people to their deaths, tossing boats and vehicles, and pulverizing structures. Currents created by tides can also combine with waves to cause severe erosion of beaches and coastal highways.
The National Hurricane Center says six inches of fast-moving water is enough to knock over an adult. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina caused storm surges of more than 25 feet on the Mississippi coast, resulting in the direct or indirect deaths of as many as 1,500 people.
Climate connection
Hurricane Milton was the second deadly hurricane in two weeks to hit the state of Florida, making hurricanes more intense and dangerous because of the climate crisis caused primarily by the burning of fossil fuels, experts say.
According to the University Atmospheric Research Corporation, sea levels are expected to rise by 29 to 82 cm by the end of the century and the sea continues to warm.
Research shows that sea level rise will make storm surge flooding during hurricanes more devastating.
Because greenhouse gases help keep heat in the atmosphere, they also help recharge the oceans with record temperatures.
Additionally, hurricanes are becoming more severe and intense because heat in the Gulf of Mexico, where many of these storms develop, is abnormally high. The extra heat acts as jet fuel for hurricanes, quickly turning them into severe storms.
Scientists have found that since the 1970s, the number of storms that become Category 4 or 5 hurricanes, with winds of at least 130 mph, has roughly doubled in the North Atlantic.
“If you look back, historically, storms have intensified slower than they do now,” said Phila Klotzbach, a researcher at Colorado State University who specializes in hurricane forecasting.
