Hurricane Milton has escalated to a Category 5 storm, the highest rating on the Saffir-Simpson scale, as it progresses through the Gulf of Mexico en route to Florida. This development, which occurred on Monday morning, was reported by the United States' National Hurricane Center (NHC).
The storm's maximum sustained winds have intensified, exceeding 250 kilometers per hour, according to data collected by a hurricane hunter aircraft. Traveling east-southeast, Milton is moving at 13 kilometers per hour.
Currently, Hurricane Milton is positioned 190 kilometers west-northwest of Celestún and 240 kilometers west of Progreso, both located in Yucatán, Mexico. The storm is approximately 1,195 kilometers west-southwest of Tampa, Florida, its anticipated destination according to current forecasts.
The NHC predicts that Milton will skirt close to or just north of the Yucatán Peninsula on Monday and Tuesday. Afterwards, it will traverse the eastern Gulf of Mexico, nearing Florida's west coast by Wednesday.
The Associated Press notes that the hurricane's core might make landfall in the Tampa Bay area on Wednesday, potentially retaining hurricane strength as it crosses central Florida heading toward the Atlantic Ocean. This path would largely spare other states that suffered significant damage from Hurricane Helene, which claimed over 230 lives from Florida to the Appalachian Mountains.
Cuba's Institute of Meteorology (Insmet) is closely monitoring Milton due to its current position, predicted strength, and projected path. The storm poses a risk of heavy rainfall and strong winds for western and central parts of the island.