BWS: Hurricane Milton Is A “Potential Threat”
Hurricane Milton is a “potential threat to Bermuda”, the Bermuda Weather Service said, with its closest point of approach to Bermuda within 72 hours forecast to be 214 nm to the SW at 12.00pm on Saturday [Oct 12], with the BWS noting that “this system may move closer to Bermuda after this time period depending upon its track.”
Graphic courtesy of the BWS:
The latest forecast from the U.S. National Hurricane Center said, “At 1100 AM EDT [1500 UTC], the center of Hurricane Milton was located near latitude 25.8 North, longitude 84.3 West. Milton is moving toward the northeast near 17 mph [28 km/h]. A northeastward motion with some decrease in forward speed is expected through this evening. A turn toward the east-northeast and east is expected on Thursday and Friday. On the forecast track, the center of Milton will move across the eastern Gulf of Mexico today, make landfall along the west-central coast of Florida tonight, and move off the east coast of Florida over the western Atlantic Ocean on Thursday.
“Maximum sustained winds are near 145 mph [230 km/h] with higher gusts. Milton is a category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Milton is expected to remain an extremely dangerous major hurricane when it reaches the west-central coast of Florida tonight, and remain at hurricane strength while it moves across the Florida peninsula through Thursday. Gradual weakening is forecast while Milton moves eastward over the western Atlantic, and it is likely to become an extratropical storm by early Friday.
“Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 35 miles [55 km] from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 175 miles [280 km]. A NOAA saildrone [SD-1083] located approximately 80 miles northeast of the center recently reported a sustained wind of 44 mph [71 km/h] with a gust of 57 mph [91 km/h].
“The minimum central pressure based on Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter data is 931 mb [27.50 inches].”
Graphic courtesy of the NHC:
