Florida flooded, the trajectory becomes clearer

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Florida flooded the trajectory becomes clearer

Hurricane Milton hit Florida at 2:30 a.m. this Thursday (Paris time) and continues its path in Florida. What could be one of the “worst storms” in the United States has already caused heavy damage.

THE ESSENTIAL

  • Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida, southeastern United States, at 2:30 a.m. this Thursday (Paris time). It could be one of the “worst storms” to hit Florida “in a century.”

  • Downgraded to category 1 out of 5, according to the NHC, the American weather forecast center, it continues its path this Thursday towards the interior with winds of up to 145 km/h.

  • The damage is already significant: 2.8 million homes are already without electricity in Florida and several deaths have been reported in St Lucie County, in the east of the state.

  • Coastal flooding of up to 4.5 meters is feared, according to the US National Hurricane Center.

Live

09:50 – 27 tornadoes reported in Florida

CNN reported that the US National Weather Service had recorded no fewer than 27 tornadoes in Florida, outside of Milton. It was one of them that caused the first deaths.

09:15 – Images of damage from Hurricane Milton

Following significant gusts and torrential rain, the damage was significant. The roof of Major League Baseball’s Tropicana Field stadium was partially torn off. The images of the flooding in Florida are impressive.

09:00 – Significant flood risks

Floods are feared in Florida. It could reach the coasts up to 4.5 meters, according to the American National Hurricane Center. “Flash floods are underway or expected to occur soon” in part of Florida, also warned the National Weather Service (NWS) in Melbourne. Residents are advised to take shelter at heights and avoid any travel. In the evening in the United States, the water rose by more than a meter in less than thirty minutes with torrential rain. According to CNN, the city of Saint Petersburg, in the Tampa region, experienced the equivalent of three months of rain in three hours.

08:50 – Millions of homes without electricity and the first deaths

More than 2.8 million homes are already without power, according to utility tracker PowerOutage.us. These cuts extend to neighboring states. 70,000 homes are without power in North Carolina and 37,000 in Georgia. The hurricane has also already caused victims. “Several deaths” are to be deplored in St Lucie County, east of Florida, as the local sheriff announced without specifying the number.

08:45 – Hurricane downgraded to category 1

Hurricane Milton was downgraded this morning to category 1 (out of 5), according to the NHC, the American weather forecast center. Winds can still reach up to 145 km/h. Concern remains about strong winds and the risk of flooding. It had been downgraded to category 2 a few hours earlier.

08:38 – Hurricane Milton made landfall tonight and is moving inland

Hurricane Milton made landfall on the west coast of Florida “near Siesta Key in Sarasota County”, the NHC announced in its 8:30 p.m. bulletin (2:30 a.m. Paris time). In 1.5 hours, Hurricane Milton had progressed 40 kilometers with very strong winds. At a little after midnight US time, the hurricane was at Fort Meade, east of Tampa and south of Orlando. He continues his way towards the interior of the country. It is now located 48 kilometers from Orlando.

LEARN MORE

“Milton has the potential to be one of the most destructive hurricanes ever recorded in west-central Florida,” estimated the United States National Hurricane Center (NHC), confirming the destructive force of the mass tempestuous. The hurricane’s path is forecast to move “off the east coast of Florida into the western Atlantic Ocean on Thursday afternoon.” The Tampa Bay region is the area exposed to the most violent weather.

“You must evacuate now, it’s a matter of life and death,” said President Joe Biden, who warned of the hurricane. Hurricane Milton “is going to take lives. It’s going to destroy lives. You have to be worried about the people in the path of the hurricane,” warned John Morales, an American meteorologist from NBC to New York Times.

However, Florida has often found itself in the path of violent storms and other hurricanes. Some weather phenomena that have hit these coasts even appear in the list of the most destructive hurricanes in history. Several Category 5 hurricanes have impacted Florida in recent years and decades. The last major phenomenon only dates back to 2022 with Hurricane Ian which swept across Florida with gusts of up to 225 km/h. Ian having caused the deaths of 150 people in this American state alone and between 67 and 113 billion dollars in damages, it is one of the most destructive hurricanes that Florida has experienced in the last century.



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