Hurricane Milton grows to category 4 as it heads for Florida

Milton, lumbering eastward through the gulf of Mexico, has grown into a category 4 storm on its way to Florida—a state still in recovery after Hurricane Helene tore through it 10 days ago. It's expected to become category 5 before it lands and locals are bracing themselves for the second time in two weeks.

Hurricane Milton rapidly intensified at a mind-boggling rate and will strengthen into a Category 5 over the record-warm Gulf of Mexico. It is then expected to grow in size, which means that although it may decrease in category, its dangerous impacts will be spread over a much larger area. Milton is forecast to make landfall on Florida's Gulf Coast on Wednesday. Its dangerous eye and eyewall could come ashore anywhere from Cedar Key at the north to Naples at the south – including possibly in the Tampa or Ft. Myers areas.

NOAA offers informative charts and makes clear the need to make plans before it comes in.

Hurricane Milton is near 22.1N 92.6W at 5 AM EDT, and is moving east-southeast at 7 kt. Maximum sustained winds
are 85 kt with gusts to 105 kt, and the minimum central pressure is 972 mb. Milton will move to 21.9N 91.3W this afternoon, 22.2N 89.4W Tue morning, 23.1N 87.5W Tue afternoon, 24.7N 85.7W Wed morning, 26.4N 83.9W Wed afternoon, and inland to 28.1N 81.7W Thu morning. Milton will weaken as an extratropical cyclone over the Atlantic at 30.0N 75.5W early Fri. Meanwhile, 1007 mb low pressure is near 26.5N85.5W along a stationary front stretching from near Tampa Bay, Florida through the low to 24N91W. Fresh to near gale force winds and building seas are north of the front. The low and front will slowly shift east-southeastward through Tue. Conditions should improve across the basin by the end of the week.

If I were introducing this on chickenfuck-tier local cable news: "Eight inches in Tampa may sound like a great night out, but it's going to be a rough Wednesday morning."

_{P.S. one unspoken reason right-wingers are suddenly all in on "Democrats control the weather" conspiracy theories is because to them the alternative is that it is God's judgment.}