Hurricane Milton tracker: Hurricane Milton path: Tweets about frightening images of a 15-foot storm, 180 mph winds stun

Hurricane Milton, a massive Category 5 storm, is expected to make landfall on Florida’s west coast late Wednesday or early Thursday and is likely to weaken but remain a major hurricane. Milton was centered early Wednesday about 360 miles (580 kilometers) southwest of Tampa, with maximum sustained winds of 160 mph (260 kph), the National Hurricane Center reported. Meteorologists say the Tampa Bay area could see a direct hit for the first time in more than a century.

Hurricane Milton is expected to bring 10- to 15-foot storm surges across the Florida coast. A visual depiction of a storm up to 15 feet high on Florida’s west coast, created by 3D artists at the Weather Channel, is gaining traction on social media. This is the biggest risk at Milton, as a storm surge of 10 to 15 feet is possible south of where the center makes landfall.

The video was shared by a wave of X users, with the caption reading: “The Weather Channel’s 3D artists deserve a raise for this crazy picture. Now look at that and then realize that the forecasts are now predicting storm surges of up to 15 feet in certain areas of Florida’s west coast. (sic)

Hurricane Milton Twitter

Florida residents standing in Milton’s way were told to flee while they could.

Gov. Ron DeSantis and others warned people Tuesday to complete their storm preparations and evacuate as Hurricane Milton approached the state as a Category 5 storm.

“Milton has the potential to be one of the most devastating hurricanes ever for West Central Florida,” the National Hurricane Center said in a forecast discussion.READ ALSO: Hurricane Milton tracker: The monstrous storm could be the worst in 100 years, the second strongest in the Gulf of MexicoAs people prepare for Hurricane Milton, several tweets about the storm have gone viral on social media. The National Weather Service warns that this could be the worst storm to hit Tampa in over 100 years.

Hurricane specialist and storm surge expert Michael Lowry warns: “Milton bears all the hallmarks of the most influential and consequential hurricanes in American history.”

Yesterday the storm reached record-breaking Category 5 status, and meteorologist Noah Bergren put Milton’s strength into perspective.

Hurricane Milton is hurtling toward Earth

The International Space Station (ISS) has captured footage of Hurricane Milton, which has strengthened into a Category 5 storm. Footage captured at 10:28 a.m. EDT on October 7 shows the storm moving across the southern Gulf of Mexico toward Florida.

The space station shared the video, explaining: “At 10:28 a.m. EDT on October 7, the space station flew over Hurricane Milton and external cameras captured views of the Category 5 storm as it struck the Gulf of California with winds of 175 miles per hour California moved “Mexico toward the west coast of Florida.”

NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick also captured a time-lapse video from the Dragon Endeavor spacecraft showing the size of the storm.

Meanwhile, researchers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have been flying through the hurricane to collect data for better forecasts.

READ ALSO: Hurricane Milton Landfall: 6 Safety Tips You Shouldn’t Ignore and How Your Phone Can Save You

NOAA’s Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) has provided images of the storm moving past the Yucatan Peninsula, showing strong convective currents. Colorado State University’s Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA) released GOES-19 satellite images highlighting the small, intense eye of the storm.

Another CIRA video shows lightning flashes in Milton’s eye socket, underscoring the severity of the storm.

Fox 35 Orlando meteorologist Noah Bergren expressed his astonishment on social media, saying, “This is nothing short of astronomical. I don’t have the words to describe it meteorologically.” [to] You see the little eye and the intensity of the storm. “This hurricane is approaching the mathematical limit of what Earth’s atmosphere can produce over this ocean water.”

As Hurricane Milton approaches Florida, authorities are issuing warnings and residents are preparing for the impact.

(With agency input)