How did Hurricane Milton reach category 5 strength so quickly?
Milton is the third fastest-intensifying storm on record in the Atlantic, as experts warn the climate crisis is fueling more powerful storms
The speed which recent hurricanes have been intensifying in strength is alarming climate experts, officials and residents facing these huge storms. More than a million people have been told to evacuate as Florida braces for the arrival of Hurricane Milton this week on the state’s west coast.
Milton is the third fastest-intensifying storm on record in the Atlantic Ocean, the US National Weather Service has said as experts warn the climate crisis is fueling more powerful storms.
With swathes of the US south still reeling from the disastrous Hurricane Helene, the rapid advance of Hurricane Milton has caught many off guard.
Within barely a day, Milton went from a tropical storm to a category 5 hurricane, the strongest possible rating, with its winds hitting 180mph as it barreled across the Gulf of Mexico toward the heart of Florida.
