Tropical Storm Milton is now expected to become a major hurricane before it makes landfall on Florida’s west coast, according to the National Hurricane Center. As of 5 p.m. ET on Oct 5, Milton is expected to bring “life-threatening impacts” to Florida’s Gulf Coast, achieving maximum sustained winds of 115 mph, making it a Category 3 hurricane.
Major hurricanes are those with maximum sustained winds exceeding 110 mph. Last spotted 245 miles north of Veracruz, Mexico, with estimated sustained winds of 40 mph, Milton is forecast to become a hurricane within the next 36 hours as it crosses the Gulf of Mexico. It will then make landfall on the Florida Peninsula on the afternoon of Wednesday, Oct. 9.
Milton is forecast to become a hurricane within the next 36 hours as it crosses the Gulf of Mexico. It will then make landfall on the Florida Peninsula on the afternoon of Wednesday, Oct. 9. “There is an increasing risk of life-threatening storm surge, and wind impacts for portions of the west coast of the Florida Peninsula beginning late Tuesday or Wednesday,” the National Hurricane Center stated in its latest advisory