A week after Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida as a Category 4 storm that devastated the Southeast, Florida is once again preparing for a major storm.
Hurricane Milton quickly intensified after becoming a tropical storm in the Gulf of Mexico, reaching a Category 4 hurricane Monday morning. It is expected to remain at this intensity by the time it makes landfall in already battered Florida, the National said Hurricane Center. Milton is expected to reach the US later this week. Hurricane center forecasters predict Milton’s sustained winds will reach 155 mph by 8 a.m. Tuesday. That would put Milton just shy of a Category 5 hurricane, which has sustained winds of at least 155 miles per hour.
Here’s the latest on the storm and whether it could impact Tennessee.
Will Hurricane Milton Hit Tennessee?
The latest modeling on Hurricane Milton shows that the storm is expected to hit the west coast of Florida this week, move across the peninsula and then move into the Atlantic Ocean. As of Monday morning, Milton is not forecast to pose a threat to the Tennessee region, according to the National Weather Service forecast discussion.
Central and East Tennessee are expected to have clear skies over the next week, with daytime highs in the mid-70s and dropping into the 50s and 40s at night. West Tennessee will see slightly warmer temperatures, reaching the low 80s during the day and the mid to low 50s at night.
When will Milton make landfall in Florida?
It is still early to predict where and when Hurricane Milton will make landfall, but it is expected to bring an increasing risk of life-threatening storm surge and damaging winds to parts of the West Coast beginning Tuesday evening or early Wednesday peninsula Florida. This is reported by the National Hurricane Center.
Expected impacts include “devastating storm surges to major flooding from rain, damaging winds, pounding surf and tornadoes,” according to AccuWeather.
Storm Surge and Hurricane Watches are now in effect for portions of the west coast of the Florida Peninsula.
Where is Hurricane Milton now?
Hurricane Milton location as of 8am ET/7am CT Monday, October 7.
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Location: 745 miles west-southwest of Tampa
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Maximum sustained wind: 125 km/h
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Movement: east-southeast at 8 mph
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Busy: 945mb
Hurricane Milton Spaghetti Models
What are the different categories of hurricanes?
Helene made landfall in Florida as a Category 4 hurricane and now Milton is expected to do the same. This category can cause devastating damage and dangerous storm surges for coastal communities. But this isn’t the strongest hurricane possible.
Hurricanes have five types of categories, here they are according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration:
Category 1: A minimal hurricane
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Wind: 74-95 mph
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Minimum surface pressure: higher than 980 mbar
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Storm surge: 3-5 feet
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Damage mainly to shrubs, trees, foliage and unanchored houses. No real damage to other structures. Some damage to poorly constructed signs.
Category 2: A moderate hurricane
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Wind: 96-110 mph
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Minimum surface pressure: 979-965 mbar
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Storm surge: 6-8 feet
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Significant damage to shrubs and tree leaves; some trees blown down. Major damage to exposed mobile homes. Extensive damage to poorly constructed signs. Any damage to roofing materials of buildings; some damage to windows and doors. No major damage to buildings.
Category 3: An extended hurricane
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Wind: 111-130 mph
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Minimum surface pressure: 964-945 mbar
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Storm surge: 9-12 feet
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Foliage is torn from trees, large trees are blown down. Almost all the poorly constructed signs have been blown over. Some damage to roofing materials of buildings with some wind and door damage. Some structural damage to small buildings. Mobile homes destroyed. Severe coastal flooding and many smaller structures near the coast have been destroyed. Larger structures near the coast damaged by storming waves and floating debris.
Category 4: An extreme hurricane
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Wind: 131-255 km/h
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Minimum surface pressure: 944-920 mbar
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Storm surge: 13-18 feet
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Bushes and trees blown over; all draw. Major damage to roofing materials, windows and doors. Complete failure of roofs of many small houses. Complete destruction of mobile homes. Flat terrain, 10 feet or less above sea level, flowed inland up to 6 miles. Major damage to the lower floors of structures near the coast due to flooding and storms from waves and floating debris.
Category 5: A catastrophic hurricane
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Wind: more than 250 km/h
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Minimum surface pressure: lower than 920 mbar
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Storm surge: higher than 18 feet
When is hurricane season?
The hurricane season started on June 1 and ends at the end of November. Before the start of the 2024 hurricane season, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted an “above average” season, with 17 to 25 named storms, eight to 13 hurricanes and four to seven major hurricanes of Category 3 or higher.
USA TODAY and Cheryl McCloud contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: When will Hurricane Milton hit Florida? Will Tennessee be affected?
