Fox Weather's latest hurricane report says that at 5:00 p.m. on October 8, eastern time, Hurricane Milton strengthened back to Category 5. At that time, the strongest super typhoon on the planet in 2024 was located at 22.7 degrees north latitude and 87.4 degrees west longitude, 772 km southwest of Tampa, Florida, USA.
Milton first strengthened into a Category 5 super typhoon at 11 a.m. on October 7 and remained a Category 5 storm until 2 a.m. on October 8.
Other than Milton, only 42 have reached this strength in the Atlantic, according to NOAA data. Before the 2024 hurricane season, only two Category 5 hurricanes moved through the Atlantic basin in 2020, Ian in 2022 and Lee in 2023.
According to CNN's latest hurricane report, Milton's re-intensification is related to the storm's circulation replacement cycle on October 8. After this cycle was completed, the eye of Hurricane Milton reappeared.
The sharp eye of a storm is a sign of a very strong storm. The weather was relatively calm in the eye of the storm. However, the eye of the storm is surrounded by a storm circulation, where the most intense winds of the storm are located.
According to Fox Weather's hurricane forecast, Milton will accelerate and turn northeast overnight on October 8 until the morning of October 10.
The center of Hurricane Milton will move across the eastern Gulf of Mexico until October 9.
The latest superstorm of the Atlantic hurricane season is expected to make landfall along the west-central coast of Florida on the night of October 9 and move off the east coast of Florida into the Atlantic on October 10.
Hurricane forecasters say that as it approaches Florida, Hurricane Milton is expected to encounter less favorable conditions with strong wind shear that will weaken the storm.
However, even after weakening, Milton is still expected to be a major storm when it makes landfall in the Gulf Coast of Florida, USA.
Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for 51 counties in Florida, while President Joe Biden approved a federal disaster declaration before Milton made landfall.
According to the latest forecast from the US National Hurricane Center, Milton's strength is expected to fluctuate over the next 36 hours and will weaken to a Category 3 hurricane before making landfall on the west coast of Florida.
The entire Gulf of Mexico is extremely warm, with some of the warmest waters located where Milton surged to Category 5 on September 8 and near Florida's west coast, where the storm is expected to make landfall.
Hurricane expert Brian McNoldy pointed out that the waters near Florida's coast are warmer than normal for this time of year. Atmospheric conditions are expected to be more severe as Hurricane Milton approaches land, helping to reduce the storm's strength.
However, the extremely warm ocean waters act as rocket fuel for Milton. Therefore, forecasters do not rule out the possibility of Milton making landfall slightly stronger than expected.
According to an official from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Milton, the strongest super typhoon on the planet in 2024, is predicted to cause damage of about $23 or $24 billion, joining the billion-dollar disaster group in the US along with Hurricanes Delta and Helene.
