After a day of watching Hurricane Milton grow from a compact Category 1 hurricane into a ferocious Category 5, the storm weakened slightly early Tuesday as it underwent an eyewall replacement.
The hurricane's top sustained winds dropped to 145 mph Tuesday — making it a Category 4 storm. At its peak, Milton had winds up to 185 mph and the fifth-lowest barometric pressure ever recorded in an Atlantic hurricane.
Hurricane Milton was churning off the coast of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula early Tuesday. It is beginning to curve away from Mexico and head toward Florida, where a late Wednesday or early Thursday landfall is likely.
What is happening to Milton's eyewall?
The hurricane underwent what is known as an eyewall replacement cycle on Tuesday, causing its top sustained winds to subside.
A second eyewall formed around a previous eyewall, taking the energy away from the older eyewall. When this happens, winds typically temporarily decline as the new eyewall takes over.
How intense will Milton be?
The good news for residents of Florida is Hurricane Milton will likely not be a Category 5 at landfall. It is projected to be a Category 3 hurricane when it reaches the coast as dry air and wind shear will cause the hurricane's structure to deteriorate.
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However, forecasters are concerned that Hurricane Milton will become larger, affecting many people across Florida. As of Tuesday morning, tropical storm-force winds extend 105 miles from the center. The National Hurricane Center expects that number to double by the time it makes landfall.
A larger storm will likely also mean a high storm surge. Forecasters say a water rise of 10-15 feet is possible in Tampa Bay as Milton approaches.
Who will be affected?
As of Tuesday morning, hurricane warnings were issued for the Florida west coast from Bonita Beach northward to the mouth of the Suwannee River. There were also inland hurricane warnings that included much of Central Florida, including Orlando.
"Milton has the potential to be one of the most destructive hurricanes on record for west-central Florida," the National Hurricane Center said early Tuesday.
Government response
On Monday, President Joe Biden and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis talked with each other about coordinating state and federal relief efforts. DeSantis' office said that the Florida Division of Emergency Management is using Tropicana Field, home of the MLB's Rays, as a staging area for up to 10,000 relief workers.
President Biden also approved Florida's request for an emergency declaration.
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The Biden administration said on Monday that the Federal Emergency Management Agency has "sufficient funding to both support the response to Hurricane Milton and continue to support the response to Hurricane Helene."
FEMA has 20 million meals and 40 million liters of water prepositioned.
