The National Hurricane Center said Milton’s minimum central pressure dropped to 897 mb, just 2 mb shy of tying the record pressure for a Gulf of Mexico hurricane that was set by Rita in 2005.
The lowest pressure ever for an Atlantic hurricane was Wilma in 2005 at 882 mb. Florida’s storm-battered Gulf Coast raced against the Category 5 hurricane Monday as workers sprinted to pick up debris left over from Helene two weeks ago. Highways were clogged, and people were fleeing ahead of the storm.
At the 7 p.m. advisory on Monday, Milton had maximum sustained winds of 180 mph over the southern Gulf of Mexico, the hurricane center said.
The center of Hurricane Milton could come ashore Wednesday in the Tampa Bay region, which has not endured a direct hit by a major hurricane in more than a century.
Scientists expect the system to weaken slightly before landfall, though it could retain hurricane strength as it churns across central Florida toward the Atlantic Ocean. That would largely spare other states ravaged by Helene, which killed at least 230 people on its path from Florida to the Carolinas.
“This is the real deal here with Milton,” Tampa Mayor Jane Castor told a news conference. “If you want to take on Mother Nature, she wins 100% of the time.”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Monday that it was imperative for debris from Helene to be cleared ahead of Milton’s arrival so the pieces cannot become projectiles. More than 300 vehicles gathered debris Sunday.
As evacuation orders were issued, forecasters warned of a possible 8- to 12-foot (2.4- to 3.6-meter) storm surge in Tampa Bay. That’s the highest ever predicted for the region and nearly double the levels reached two weeks ago during Helene, said National Hurricane Center spokesperson Maria Torres.
The storm could also bring widespread flooding. Five to 10 inches (13 to 25 centimeters) of rain was forecast for mainland Florida and the Keys, with as much as 15 inches (38 centimeters) expected in some places.
The Tampa metro area has a population of more than 3.3 million people.
“It’s a huge population. It’s very exposed, very inexperienced, and that’s a losing proposition,” Massachusetts Institute of Technology meteorology professor Kerry Emanuel said. “I always thought Tampa would be the city to worry about most.”
