Hurricane Milton towards Florida:“It could be the worst of the century”

With gusts that could reach 270 km/h, Hurricane Milton will hit the same areas hit two weeks ago by Helene.

A hurricane scary, which could go down in history sweet “the worst of the last century” is strengthening in Gulf of Mexico.Already in category 5 – the highest on the Saffir-Simpson scale – is about to hit the ground in Florida on the night between Wednesday and Thursday.And there are already those who are wondering whether, after his passage, it will be necessary to update the reference scale itself, introducing a “category 6”, previously non-existent.

A meteorologist in tears as he describes Hurricane Milton

Milton, as the hurricane was called, is currently located off the coast of Cuba.It will bring with it gusts that could reach up to 270 kilometers per hour, according to reports from meteorologists Americans.One of whom, John Morales, from Miami, he struggled to hold back his tears while, live, he illustrated the characteristics of the phenomenon:“It's an incredible, incredible, incredible hurricane.He lost 50 millibars in ten hours.Excuse me, it is something horrendous”.

The path of the cyclone touched the peninsula of Yucatan, in Mexico, fortunately without causing casualties.But it is precisely in Florida that the worst situation is expected, also because the same area only a couple of weeks ago suffered the passage of another hurricane, Helene, which caused the death of 234 people.In numerous areas they were still standing picking up debris and rubble, which could now become like bullets, given the strength of the expected winds, increasing the risks for the population.

One million people evacuated, Biden cancels trips abroad

For this, the United States authorities were categorical:a evacuation order it was issued for approx a million people.The governor of Florida Ron DeSantis he specified that "the entire peninsula is in a state of vigilance or alert".The president Joe Biden si is aimed at the inhabitants of risk areas explaining:“You must flee, it is a matter of life and death.”The head of state also gave up two trips to Germany and Angola, scheduled for the weekend, to follow the situation closely.

The vice-president Kamala Harris for his part, he asked the people of Florida to "seriously take into consideration the indications of the local authorities".While Jane Castor – mayor of Tampa, one of the most exposed cities – explained bluntly:“Those who remain in the areas subject to evacuation will die.”

“Never seen such rapid strengthening of a hurricane”

Generators of electricity, food, water and blankets were distributed in numerous locations in the third most populous US state.Numerous airports they have already been closed.According to meteorologist Michael Lowry, “if the worst forecasts materialize for the Tampa Bay region the coastal flooding caused by Hurricane Milton could be twice as serious of those observed with Helene.The cyclone has strengthened in recent days at a frenetic pace, the fastest ever observed in the Atlantic basin."

Just looking at the ocean, what strikes you is the simultaneous presence of three active hurricanes:Milton, Leslie And Kirk, with the latter also hitting Europe.The National Hurricane Center of the United States confirmed the unprecedented event, underlining how unusual it is to record such intense activity, especially when we are now at the end of the hurricane season.

Three hurricanes active at the same time in the Atlantic Ocean

Everything we have considered so far “normality”, on the other hand, will most likely have to be revised and rethought:the climate crisis brings with it an increase in frequency and intensity of the extreme weather events.And the less we are able to combat global warming, the more difficult its impacts will be for humanity to manage.