A storm system growing in the Gulf of Mexico strengthened Saturday into Tropical Storm Milton, and forecasters warned Sunday it could become a hurricane and hit the Florida coast this week.
Milton was about 585 kilometers (365 miles) west-northwest of Progreso, Mexico, and about 1,375 km (855 miles) west-southwest of Tampa, Florida, with maximum sustained winds of 75 kilometers per hour (45 miles per hour). as it headed north-northeast at 6 km/h (6 mph), the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said early Sunday.
“Milton is moving slowly but is expected to gain strength quickly,” the center said, noting an “increased risk of life-threatening impacts for areas of the west coast of Florida.”
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency in 35 counties ahead of the storm’s possible landfall. With many of those counties still recovering from Hurricane Helene, DeSantis called on the Florida Division of Emergency Management and the Florida Department of Transportation to coordinate all available resources and personnel to assist local communities as they accelerate the debris removal.
Although no warnings or alerts had been issued on the coasts, the NHC said the Florida Peninsula and Keys, the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico, and the northeastern Bahamas should monitor the advance of the system.
The storm is forecast to strengthen and could produce potentially lethal impacts on several parts of Florida’s west coast, and storm surge warnings are likely to be issued on Sunday. Heavy rain is expected in several areas of Florida starting Sunday, which could cause flash flooding and the overflowing of some rivers.
“There is an increased risk of potentially life-threatening storm surge and wind impacts across several parts of the west coast of the Florida panhandle beginning Tuesday afternoon or Wednesday morning. “Residents in these areas should have a hurricane plan, follow guidance from local authorities, and monitor updated weather forecasts,” the NHC said.
Meanwhile, Kirk remained a strong Category 4 hurricane about 2,165 km (1,345 miles) west-southwest of the Azores with maximum sustained winds of 185 km/h (115 mph) on Saturday night, according to the center.
The system caused “swells and rip currents” that affected the northern Windward Islands, Bermuda, the Greater Antilles and the east coast of the United States, according to forecasters. Storm surges were expected to move north along the U.S. East Coast and Atlantic Canada on Sunday, and into the Azores on Monday, according to the center.
Hurricane Leslie, for its part, was moving northwest across the Atlantic without posing a threat to land, experts said Saturday night.
The meteor was 1,375 km (855 miles) west of the southern tip of the Cape Verde Islands, with maximum sustained winds of 130 km/h (80 mph). No coastal warnings or warnings were issued.
Storms continued to evolve as rescuers in the southeastern United States searched for people missing after Hurricane Helene struck last week, leaving a trail of death and catastrophic damage in its wake.
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