TAMPA, Fla. – Hurricane Milton intensified back to a Category 5 on Tuesday as it churned through the Gulf of Mexico, heading towards Florida’s Peninsula. Millions of residents rushed to complete preparations and evacuate high-risk areas ahead of the storm’s arrival.
The National Hurricane Center has warned that Milton’s storm surge poses an “extremely life-threatening situation” along Florida’s western coast. The storm’s powerful winds and heavy rainfall are expected to cause widespread damage, extending far inland and beyond the projected path shown on the forecast maps. Alerts for hurricane warnings now cover nearly the entire state in red and orange.
More than 1 million people across at least 16 counties have been ordered to evacuate, with both figures expected to rise as Hurricane Milton approaches. The storm is targeting a coastline still reeling from Hurricane Helene’s impact less than two weeks ago. Over 20 million of Florida’s 22 million residents are currently under hurricane or tropical storm warnings.
In St. Petersburg, Julie Bost sought refuge from the approaching storm. Bost, 32, had faced disaster before—her home was flooded by Hurricane Idalia last year when she was a new mom with a 3-month-old baby, resulting in $65,000 in damages. “I couldn’t go through another flood,” Bost told the USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida. “I told my husband I couldn’t handle that again, emotionally.”
Hurricane Milton underwent a stunning period of rapid intensification on Monday, with sustained winds surging to 180 mph. By Tuesday morning, the wind speeds had dropped significantly, only to rise again to 160 mph by Tuesday evening.
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