Hurricane Milton dropped to a Category 4 early today as it churns toward Florida’s west coast but it will remain a major hurricane when it makes landfall on Thursday
Hurricane Milton: ISS captures storm passing over Gulf of Mexico
Hurricane Milton is set to cause severe destruction when it makes landfall in Florida tomorrow.
The Tampa Bay area, home to more than 3.3 million Americans, faces the possibility of widespread devastation after avoiding direct hits from major hurricanes for more than a century. President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and top federal officials warned Milton could cause historic devastation. Mr Biden, 81, said: “It’s looking like the storm of the century.”
Florida’s Gulf Coast is especially vulnerable to storm surge, the term used to describe a change in sea level that is caused by a storm. Possibly one of the most dramatic weather events, it is as a result of low pressure, high winds and tidal conditions. When Hurricane Katrina approached the US coast in 2005, it generated a storm surge of more than eight metres in some areas and Hurricane Milton is feared to generate similar levels.
The Met Office says storm surges are caused by high winds pushing seawater towards the coast, causing it to pile up there. Strong winds generate large waves on top of the surge which can add to the flood risk. The weather service’s website reads: “The main cause of a storm surge is high winds pushing the seawater towards the coast, causing it to pile up there.
“There is also a smaller contribution from the low pressure at the centre of the storm “pulling” the water level up, by about 1 cm for every 1 millibar change in pressure. This is called the inverse barometer effect and is similar to what happens when you drink through a straw.
“The strong winds in the storm generate large waves on top of the surge which can cause damage to sea defences, or spill over the top adding to the flood risk. In the case of tropical storms (such as hurricanes), there may also be a very large amount of rain which further increases the risk of flooding.
“On the December 5, 2013, a large storm surge hit the east coast of the UK, causing widespread flooding along the coast. This was a prime example of low pressure, high winds and high tidal conditions combining.” More than 2500 people were killed around the North Sea coastline, including 307 in England and 19 in Scotland, after a storm surge on January 31, 1953.
As well as the loss of life, the flooding caused a great deal of damage to people’s homes and businesses and ruined large areas of farmland. Following the 1953 storm surge, the UK Government invested much more in improved sea defences, such as the Thames Barrier, and effective warning systems.
