The latest storm news from the New York Times said that in just a few hours on October 7, Hurricane Milton increased from Category 1 to Category 5, the strongest level on the Saffir-Simpson scale - a scale that classifies storms based on wind speed.
Milton was a tropical storm on the afternoon of October 5 and became a Category 1 hurricane at around 2:00 p.m. on October 6 in the southeastern United States. The storm maintained its Category 1 intensity until early morning on October 7.
According to the US National Hurricane Center's hurricane report at 5:00 a.m. on October 7, the storm has strengthened into a Category 2 hurricane.
Just two hours later, the US National Hurricane Center said Milton had become a Category 3 hurricane, with winds of 120 mph.
By around 9 a.m. the same day, Milton had strengthened into a Category 4 hurricane.
By noon on October 7, Milton had officially strengthened into a Category 5 super typhoon, with winds of 257 km/h, according to data from the US Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunting Team.
Hurricane Milton's wind speeds increased to 145 km/h in 24 hours. Only two hurricanes have strengthened faster than Milton: Hurricane Wilma in 2005 and Hurricane Felix in 2007, according to data from the US National Hurricane Center for the Atlantic hurricane season.
At 8 p.m. on October 7, the storm's maximum sustained wind speeds increased to 290 km/h, making Hurricane Milton one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes ever.
Based on wind speeds, Milton could compete with the strongest Atlantic hurricane ever recorded: Hurricane Allen in 1980 was named Allen, with maximum wind speeds of 305 km/h before making landfall along the US-Mexico border.
However, as a compact system, Milton is more similar to Hurricane Wilma in 2005. Wilma holds the record for the lowest pressure in a hurricane another measure of a storms intensity.
The small size, the extremely warm water in the Gulf of Mexico and calm atmospheric conditions allowed Milton to "explode," as the center's weather forecasters noted in their update early in the afternoon of October 7.
Hurricane Rita in 2005, which reached wind speeds of 180 mph, caused extensive damage when it made landfall in Louisiana. Rita suffered a strong blow despite weakening to a Category 3 storm before making landfall. This is a likely scenario for Milton as he approaches Florida.
According to the latest hurricane forecast from hurricane expert Phil Klotzbach, Colorado State University, Milton will stop intensifying at some point through the eye-on-the-see replacement cycle.
The five Typhoon Categorys on the Saffir-Simpson wind scale include:
Level 1: 119-153km/h. The Category 1 storm is considered very dangerous and is expected to cause some damage to power lines and power poles.
Level 2: 154-177km/h. This wind speed is expected to cause great damage.
Level 3: 178-208km/h. The storm is expected to cause huge damage at this level. Trees may break and be uprooted, and power and water may be interrupted.
Level 4: 209-251km/h. Authorities warn of catastrophic damage with a Category 4 storm.
Level 5: 252km/h or higher. Roofs and walls are expected to be damaged or collapse. Power outages are expected for a long time.
