Tropical Storm Milton Threatens Florida after Deadly Helene

Tropical Storm Milton has formed in the Gulf of Mexico, announced the National Hurricane Center (NHC) on Saturday. The system is projected to intensify into a hurricane by Sunday and potentially reach major hurricane strength as it nears the west coast of the Florida Peninsula later this week. This comes just over a week after Hurricane Helene made landfall, resulting in at least 128 deaths and hundreds still missing.

Florida residents are advised to prepare for life-threatening storm surges, high winds, and heavy rainfall starting late Tuesday or Wednesday.

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Current Status of Tropical Storm Milton

As of the NHC's 7 a.m. weather advisory Sunday:

• Location: 345 miles west-northwest of Progreso, Mexico
• Maximum sustained winds: 60 mph
• Present movement: East at 5 mph

Projected Path of Tropical Storm Milton

Early forecasts indicate the tropical system moving eastward to northeastward across the Gulf of Mexico, away from Texas. The NHC advises the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico, the Florida Peninsula, the Florida Keys, and the northwestern Bahamas to monitor the storm's progress.

Regardless of its development, locally heavy rains are expected over portions of Mexico in the next day or two, and over much of Florida from late this weekend through the middle of the week. Hurricane and Storm Surge watches are likely to be issued for parts of Florida by late Sunday.

Rainfall of up to 8 inches is anticipated across portions of the Florida Peninsula and the Keys through Wednesday night, according to the NHC forecast.

Additional Resources

• Tropical Storm Milton spaghetti models: See projected path
• Hurricane tracker 2024: Hurricane Kirk, Hurricane Leslie and another tropical system
• Texas weather watches and warnings
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• Interactive map: Hurricanes, tropical storms that have passed near your city