National Hurricane Center: Two Active Systems in Atlantic, Including 'Extremely Dangerous' Hurricane Milton

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is monitoring two systems in the Atlantic, with Hurricane Milton in the Gulf of Mexico posing severe threats to the U.S. coast.

Hurricane Milton, though slightly weakened from a Category 5 to a Category 4 storm on Tuesday, remains "an extremely dangerous hurricane." With maximum sustained winds near 155 mph, Milton is expected to turn east-northeast and approach the Florida coast by Wednesday. The storm is forecast to make landfall in Florida on Wednesday night.

• Location: 560 miles southwest of Tampa, Florida (as of Tuesday morning)
• Movement: East-northeast and northeast on Tuesday and Wednesday
• Impact: Expected to produce damaging winds and life-threatening storm surges in Florida

Track all active storms

Tropical Storm Leslie, located in the central Atlantic, is not expected to make landfall.

• Location: 1,335 miles west-northwest of the southernmost Cabo Verde Islands
• Maximum sustained winds: 70 mph
• Movement: Northwest at 13 mph

Hurricane Milton Details

• Location: 100 miles northeast of Progreso, Mexico and 545 miles southwest of Tampa, Florida (as of 7 a.m. CDT)
• Maximum sustained winds: 145 mph
• Movement: East-northeast at 12 mph
• Impact: Life-threatening storm surges and destructive waves across parts of the Yucatan Peninsula's northern coast on Tuesday

Spaghetti Models: The NHC uses top-performing models for forecasting. Track the projected path for Hurricane Milton.

Potential Impacts:

• Heavy rainfall in Florida: 5 to 12 inches, with localized totals up to 18 inches
• Storm surge: 10-15 feet possible for Tampa and other coastal communities

Other Systems in the Atlantic

The NHC is tracking two additional systems with low chances of development:

1. Southwestern Atlantic: Disorganized showers near the northern Bahamas.

   • Formation chance: Low, 20% within 48 hours and 7 days.

2. Eastern Tropical Atlantic: Tropical wave moving westward.

   • Formation chance: Low, near 0% within 48 hours; 20% within 7 days.

Stay Informed: Sign up for weather alerts via text to receive updates about current storms and weather events by location.

— USA TODAY contributed to this report.