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Weather and Climate News
Juliana Kim, NPR

Tropical Storm Milton approaches Florida, likely to become a hurricane

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Weather satellite image of the United States taken on Saturday afternoon ET. Courtesy of the NASA George C. Marshall Space Flight Center Earth Science Branch in Huntsville, Ala.
Weather satellite image of the U.S. taken on Saturday afternoon ET shows stormy conditions brewing in the Gulf Coast.
NASA George C. Marshall Space Flight Center Earth Science Branch

Less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene left a devastating and deadly trail across the Southeast, another storm is forecast to reach Florida this week — bringing threats of heavy rain, strong winds and flash flooding to the already-storm battered state.

The National Weather Service said Saturday that a tropical storm, named Milton, has formed in the Gulf of Mexico. The storm is heading toward the west coast of the Florida Peninsula. It is forecast to strengthen rapidly into a hurricane on Sunday night and become a major hurricane as it approaches the Florida coast, according to Sunday morning update from the NWS.

Forecasters said the storm is expected to bring potentially life-threatening storm conditions, including storm surge and strong winds, starting late Tuesday or Wednesday. Meanwhile, some parts of Florida will be drenched by heavy rainfall as soon as Sunday or Monday. Five to eight inches of rain are expected, including isolated totals up to to 12 inches, across the Florida Peninsula and Keys through Wednesday night, the update from the NWS also said.

Parts of South Florida were already experiencing heavy rainfall on Saturday. South Florida was expected to receive up to 7 inches of rain through Thursday. The NWS plans to issue a flood watch for parts of Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties starting Sunday morning through Thursday morning.

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Saturday issued a state of emergency for 35 counties, including all of central Florida, in preparation for Milton’s arrival.

The governor’s order activates the Florida National Guard as needed and expedites debris cleanup from Hurricane Helene.

FEMA on Saturday urged Floridians to “take the forecast seriously and do not wait to prepare” for the storm.

“FEMA is prepared to respond and stands ready to support the state with any request for resources,” the agency said in a statement. “Hundreds of FEMA staff are on the ground in Florida supporting Helene recovery and coordinating with the state to prepare people for the next storm.”

The prospect of another major storm comes as communities across the Southeast continue to uncover the full extent of Helene's damage. Six states — Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia — were hit the hardest. Helene's death toll has surpassed 200.

In Florida, at least 19 people have died as a result of the storm, according to USA Today.
Helene is considered one of the deadliest hurricanes to have hit the continental U.S. since Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

NPR's Chandelis Duster contributed to this report.

Copyright 2024, NPR