WNKY News 40 Weather Reports: Hurricane Milton Explained
What Contributed To Milton's Rapid Strength In The Gulf?
Hurricane Milton gained major hurricane strength, undergoing extreme rapid intensification over very warm Gulf of Mexico waters. It’s when a tropical wave of energy increases sustained wind speeds of 58 mph or greater within 24 hours. Milton reached maximum sustained winds of 180 mph as a high end Category 5 hurricane near the Yucatan Peninsula, becoming the fastest hurricane to intensify from a tropical depression to a Category 5 in the Atlantic basin in 48 hours.
How did Milton form? Milton was initially a cluster of thunderstorms in the western Gulf. Part of what fueled the storm was record warm sea surface temperatures and low wind shear. When a tropical Low pressure system spins, warm and moist air rises. Cooler air above causes clouds to form and expand over tropical waters, generating intense thunderstorms. Air at the top rushes down to the bottom, causing a cycle of more storms to form over warm waters.
Once the winds around the center get stronger and stronger, the storm gets strong enough to be a hurricane. The strength of a hurricane is categorized by the Saffir-Simpson scale, wind speeds determine the category. The scale goes from 1 to 5.
Hurricanes run out of steam once they hit land because they need water to thrive. Although Hurricanes lose strength over land, they carry powerful destructive winds and push threatening levels of storm surge along coastlines.
