Tornadoes that precede a storm’s landfall are usually weak and short-lived, but in the case of Hurricane Milton they were more intense, the forecaster from the United States Storm Prediction Center (SPC) told the New York Times. , Bill Bunting.
Forecasters were surprised by the destructive tornadoes that swept across the Florida peninsula before Milton crossed there.
“It is not unusual for tornadoes to precede the arrival of a storm, but they are generally weak and short-lived. Those who accompanied Milton were more intense, “a little unusual.” Bunting said.
The NYT notes that the National Weather Service issued more than one hundred tornado warnings on October 10. Before Milton made landfall, more than 100 structures were damaged and at least five people were killed in St. Lucie County, across Florida’s Gulf Coast.
Winds were strong on both sides of the hurricane, but shortly before making landfall, the hurricane “lost its balance”; Due to interaction with colder, drier air, the storm moved northeastward. This caused the hurricane to weaken before making landfall.
Forecasters are concerned that hurricane season is not over yet, and some fear it will extend into December, even though the season officially ends on November 30.
On October 9, Milton hit the United States and intensified into a Category 5 storm, meaning wind speeds exceeded 252 km/h. The next day, the hurricane weakened to category one (maximum sustained wind speed: 119-153 km/h). The Hurricane Center said Milton will remain a hurricane as it crosses Florida and then “gradually lose tropical characteristics and slowly weaken” as it leaves the Atlantic Ocean.
Before the hurricane hit, Florida authorities asked 5.5 million people to evacuate and people began leaving on Monday, October 7. According to the latest data, at least 14 people have died, CNN reports. 3 million people were left without electricity. governor of florida Ron Desantis reported that 999 people and 105 animals were rescued.
As a result of the unrestrained nature of the storm, a rare phenomenon called “reverse storm surge” occurred in Tampa Bay: the hurricane temporarily pumped out water, leaving an open bottom, RBC writes.
