Hurricane Milton is a Category 5. Florida orders evacuations and scrambles to clear Helene’s debrisBELLEAIR BEACH, Fla. — The Gulf Coast of Florida is bracing for Hurricane Milton, a potential Category 5 storm, as cleanup efforts from Hurricane Helene, which struck two weeks ago, continue. Residents are evacuating in droves, leading to congested highways as they flee the impending danger.
Hurricane Milton is expected to make landfall in the Tampa Bay area on Wednesday, a region that hasn’t experienced a direct hit from a major hurricane in over a century. Although scientists predict the storm will weaken slightly before reaching land, it may still maintain hurricane strength as it moves across central Florida toward the Atlantic. This trajectory could provide some relief to states still recovering from Helene, which claimed at least 230 lives along its path from Florida to the Carolinas.
“This is no joke with Milton,” said Tampa Mayor Jane Castor during a press conference. “When it comes to Mother Nature, she always wins.”
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis emphasized the need to clear debris from Helene to prevent it from becoming dangerous projectiles in high winds. Over 300 vehicles were deployed to assist in debris removal.
Evacuation orders have been issued as forecasters predict a storm surge of 8 to 12 feet (2.4 to 3.6 meters) in Tampa Bay, the highest ever forecast for the area and nearly double what was experienced during Helene, according to National Hurricane Center spokesperson Maria Torres. Additionally, the storm could bring significant rainfall, with predictions of 5 to 10 inches (13 to 25 centimeters) across mainland Florida and the Keys, and up to 15 inches (38 centimeters) in some locations.
The Tampa metro area, home to over 3.3 million residents, is particularly vulnerable. “It’s a large population that is very exposed and inexperienced,” warned MIT meteorology professor Kerry Emanuel. “Tampa is definitely a city to be concerned about.”
Much of Florida's west coast is under hurricane and storm surge warnings, and parts of Mexico’s Yucatan state are also under alert.
Milton rapidly intensified on Monday, boasting maximum sustained winds of 165 mph (270 kph). By late Monday, the storm was approximately 630 miles (1,015 kilometers) southwest of Tampa, moving east at 9 mph (15 km/h).
The Tampa Bay area is still recovering from Helene, which caused significant damage and claimed 12 lives, particularly along barrier islands from St. Petersburg to Clearwater.
Lifeguards in Pinellas County have begun removing items from beaches that could become airborne in strong winds. Residents have expressed frustration over the slow pace of debris removal. “If this storm hits, it’s going to be flying missiles,” warned Belleair Beach resident Sarah Steslicki.
Hillsborough County has ordered evacuations for areas near Tampa Bay and for all mobile homes by Tuesday night. President Joe Biden has approved an emergency declaration for Florida, with U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor noting that 7,000 federal workers are being mobilized to assist.
As residents evacuate, memories of Hurricane Irma in 2017 loom large, when millions were urged to leave Florida, leading to traffic jams and fuel shortages. By Monday morning, some gas stations in Fort Myers and Tampa had already run out of fuel, although the state has secured additional supplies.
A steady flow of vehicles was seen heading north on Interstate 75, while southbound lanes were congested with those fleeing to Fort Lauderdale and Miami. Candice Briggs, whose home was flooded by Helene, expressed her exhaustion and gratitude for following her instincts to evacuate. “I’m overwhelmed and exhausted,” she admitted.
Others, like Tanya Marunchak, are torn about whether to leave. After losing everything to Helene, she and her husband debated the stability of their home. “We lost all our cars, all our furniture,” she said.
In Mexico, residents and tourists rushed to evacuate from Holbox Island as the storm approached. “We are afraid something might happen to us,” said resident Marilú Macías.
**Rapid Intensification of Milton**
Milton's wind speed surged by 92 mph (148 kph) within 24 hours, one of the fastest rates recorded. Experts attribute this rapid intensification to a small "pinhole eye" and unusually warm Gulf waters, which provided ample fuel for the storm.
As the storm approaches, schools in Pinellas County are being converted into shelters, and airports in Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Orlando are preparing to close. Walt Disney World remains operational for now.
In Mexico, Yucatan state Governor Joaquín Díaz has ordered the cancellation of all nonessential activities, except for grocery stores and gas stations, and has organized evacuations from coastal areas.
It has been two decades since Florida faced such a barrage of storms in a short period, reminiscent of 2004 when five storms struck within six weeks, including three hurricanes that devastated central Florida.
颶風米爾頓達到五級：佛羅里達州發出撤離命令並清理海倫的殘骸
佛羅里達州貝萊爾海灘 — 佛羅里達州的墨西哥灣沿岸正面臨一場潛在的5級颶風米爾頓，清理兩週前颶風海倫留下的殘骸工作仍在進行中。居民們正在緊急撤離，導致高速公路擁堵。
米爾頓預計將於星期三登陸坦帕灣地區，這一地區在一世紀以來尚未遭受重大颶風的直接襲擊。雖然科學家預測這場風暴在登陸前可能會略微減弱，但它在橫掃中央佛羅里達州並朝向大西洋移動時，可能仍會保持颶風強度。這一軌跡可能會給仍在從海倫中恢復的州帶來一些緩解，海倫在其路徑上造成至少230人喪生。
坦帕市市長珍·卡斯特在新聞發布會上表示：“米爾頓可不是開玩笑的。與母自然對抗，她永遠是贏家。”
佛羅里達州州長隆·德桑蒂斯強調，必須清理海倫留下的殘骸，以防止其在強風中變成危險的飛行物體。超過300輛車輛已被派出協助清理殘骸。
隨著撤離命令的發布，氣象預報員警告坦帕灣可能會出現8到12英尺（2.4到3.6米）的風暴潮，這是該地區有史以來預測的最高水平，幾乎是兩週前海倫所帶來的兩倍，國家颶風中心發言人瑪麗亞·托雷斯表示。此外，這場風暴可能會帶來大量降雨，預計在佛羅里達大陸和鑰匙島會有5到10英寸（13到25厘米）的降雨，而某些地區的降雨量可能達到15英寸（38厘米）。
坦帕大都會地區擁有超過330萬居民，特別脆弱。麻省理工學院氣象學教授凱瑞·埃曼努爾警告：“這是一個大型人口，暴露在極大風險中，且缺乏經驗。坦帕絕對是一個值得擔心的城市。”
佛羅里達州西海岸的大部分地區都發出了颶風和風暴潮警告，墨西哥的尤卡坦州部分地區也在警報之中。
米爾頓在週一迅速增強，最大持續風速達到165英里每小時（270公里每小時）。到週一晚，這場風暴距離坦帕約630英里（1,015公里），以每小時9英里（15公里每小時）的速度向東移動。
坦帕灣地區仍在從海倫的災後恢復中，那場風暴造成了重大損失，並導致12人喪生，尤其是在聖彼得堡到克利爾沃特的防波堤島嶼上。
皮內拉斯縣的救生員已開始清理沙灘上可能在強風中飛起的物品。居民們對清理工作的緩慢進展表示不滿。“如果這場風暴來襲，將會有飛行的飛彈，”貝萊爾海灘居民莎拉·斯特斯利基警告道。
希爾斯堡縣已下令撤離坦帕灣附近的地區以及所有移動房屋，截止到星期二晚上。拜登總統已批准佛羅里達州的緊急聲明，眾議員凱西·卡斯特表示，已有7,000名聯邦工作人員被動員，協助應對。
隨著居民撤離，2017年颶風艾爾瑪的回憶浮現，當時約700萬人被建議撤離佛羅里達州，造成交通擁堵和加油站排長隊。到星期一早上，邁爾斯堡和坦帕地區的一些加油站已經缺油，儘管州內已確保了額外的燃料供應。
沿著佛羅里達州西側的主要公路I-75上，車輛不斷北上，而南行車道則擠滿了前往較安全的佛羅里達州南部的居民。康迪斯·布里格斯和她的丈夫、三個年幼的孩子及他們的狗，計劃在坦帕灣社區塞米諾爾的家中遭洪水侵襲後，再次撤到杰克遜維爾北部的一家酒店。“大多數的眼淚都是因為疲憊或感激。只希望我們能安全，並遵循直覺撤離，”布里格斯說。“我非常感激。但我感到不知所措和疲憊。”
儘管塔尼亞·馬倫查克的貝萊爾海灘家中在海倫襲擊中淹水超過4英尺（1.2米），但她和丈夫對是否應該撤離仍感到猶豫。她希望離開，但丈夫認為他們的三層樓房足夠堅固，能抵擋米爾頓的襲擊。
“我們失去了所有的車輛，所有的家具。第一層樓完全被毀壞，”馬倫查克說。“這是一個最奇怪的天氣困境。”
在墨西哥，數十名居民和遊客排隊搭乘從尤卡坦半島霍爾博克島出發的撤離渡輪。這個低洼和易淹水的島嶼可能是米爾頓靠近的最近地點之一。
經常居住在當地的瑪麗盧·馬西亞斯與她的女兒們一起，雖然她面帶微笑，但對米爾頓可能帶來的災害感到恐懼。“我們擔心會發生什麼事，”她說。“我們要去一個更安全的地方。”
**米爾頓為何如此迅速增強？**
米爾頓在24小時內風速增加了92英里每小時（148公里每小時），這一增速僅次於2005年的颶風威爾瑪和2007年的颶風費利克斯。專家們指出，米爾頓迅速增強的原因是其小型“針孔眼”，與威爾瑪類似，科羅拉多州立大學的颶風研究專家菲爾·克勞茲巴赫表示。
這場風暴可能會經歷所謂的“眼壁替換週期”，這是一個自然過程，形成新的眼睛並擴大風暴的大小，但風速會下降，克勞茲巴赫說。由於墨西哥灣的水溫異常高，因此“燃料就在那裡”，米爾頓可能正經過一個額外溫暖的渦流，進一步增強，阿爾巴尼大學的颶風科學家克里斯汀·科博西耶羅說。
最後一場在美國本土以5級颶風登陸的颶風是2018年的米高。
**佛羅里達州和墨西哥的大規模取消活動**
隨著風暴逼近，皮內拉斯縣的學校被改為避難所。坦帕、聖彼得堡和奧蘭多的機場計劃關閉。華特迪士尼世界目前仍正常運營。
在墨西哥，尤卡坦州州長華金·迪亞茲已下令從週一開始取消所有非必要活動，只保留雜貨店、醫院、藥店和加油站的運營，並組織巴士將居民從沿海城市普羅格雷索撤離。
在如此短的時間內，佛羅里達州遭遇如此多的風暴已有20年未見，這讓人想起2004年，當時有五場風暴在六週內襲擊佛羅里達州，其中三場颶風摧毀了中央佛羅里達州。
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