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Where is Hurricane Milton now?

Helen Willetts with the latest forecast as Milton hits Florida

After tearing across Florida's peninsula, Hurricane Milton has weakened into a post-tropical cyclone and its centre has moved away from the state into the Atlantic Ocean.

But forecasters have warned that hurricane-force winds and rain are continuing in the eastern parts of the state.

The storm struck just two weeks after Hurricane Helene caused major damage across the south-eastern US.

When did Hurricane Milton hit Florida?

Milton made landfall as a category three hurricane in Siesta Key, Florida - a coastal community about 50 miles (80km) south of Tampa - at about 20:30 EST on Wednesday (03:30 BST on Thursday), according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).

Nearly 3.4 million homes and businesses were without power by Thursday morning, dozens of homes have been destroyed, and at least four deaths have been reported.

Map shows central Florida cut in two by a red line showing the path of Hurricane Milton - and where it made landfall near Siesta Key. Labels show people are without water in St Petersburg on the west coast near the hooked bay of Tampa, deaths are reported in St Lucie County on the east coast. Disney World near Orlando is labelled to the north of the line.

Forecasters continue to warn of torrential rain, flash flooding, high winds and possible storm surges - which occur when water moves inland from the coast - of several feet in height along Florida's north-eastern coast.

About 130 tornado warnings were also issued across Florida as a result of Hurricane Milton, Jimmy Patronis, Florida's chief financial officer, said in an interview with the BBC.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said in an update on Wednesday evening that at least 19 twisters had touched down in the state.

An annotated BBC graphic says "storm surges could overwhelm Florida houses", and then shows how potential waves (up to 15ft) could be almost as high as a house. The graphic points out that surges are more deadly at high tide
Annotated BBC map tracking path of Hurricane Milton towards Florida. In the graphic, it shows the hurricane moving from the Gulf of Mexico towards the direction of Florida, passing over Tampa after 02:00 on Thursday and Orlando before 14:00 on the same day.

Where is Hurricane Milton?

Milton is about 710 miles west-southwest of Great Abaco Island in the northern Bahamas, according to the NHC's advisory at 17:00 EST on Thursday.

Swells generated by Milton are expected to continue to affect portions of the south-east US and the Bahamas during the next couple of days. The NHC warned that these swells could cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.

The centre of the post-tropical cyclone will pass to the south of Bermuda late on Friday, the NHC said.

While Milton has weakened to a post-tropical cyclone, its sheer size means its effects are being felt much wider than the shaded cone shown above.

In addition to most of Florida, the impact of the storm has also been felt in Georgia and South Carolina.

The storm has also affected some of the areas recently decimated by Hurricane Helene. Tampa, which has a population of more than three million people in its wider metropolitan area, is just north of Siesta Key, where the storm made landfall.

An annotated BBC satellite image shows the position of Hurricane Milton as it passes over the US state of Florida. Locations marked include Tampa, as well as the countries of Mexico and Cuba

Where are the Hurricane Milton evacuation zones?

Traffic jams formed and airports announced closures as Floridians were told to prepare for the state's largest evacuation effort in years. Officials said Milton could be the worst storm to hit the area in about a century.

As the hurricane approached, most counties were in an official state of emergency, and evacuations were ordered up and down Florida's west coast.

Disaster management authorities issued a list and map of the evacuation orders spanning dozens of counties. Several large shelters were also prepared as a last resort for those stranded.

An annotated map titled "Millions leave Florida homes before Milton hits" shows the several counties of Florida highlighted where mandatory evacuation orders have been put in place, including the city of Tampa

What is a hurricane and how do they form?

Hurricanes - sometimes known as cyclones or typhoons - are a type of tropical storm that form in the North Atlantic. They bring strong winds and heavy rain.

When ocean air is warm and moist, it rises, and then starts to cool - which causes clouds to form.

Sometimes this rising air can move away at the top of the hurricane more quickly than it can be replaced at the surface, causing the surface pressure to fall.

The falling pressure causes the winds to accelerate with more air then getting pulled in as the hurricane strengthens.

The National Oceanic Atmospheric Association (Noaa) predicted that the 2024 hurricane season would be more active than usual. Rising average sea temperatures due to human-caused climate change were partly to blame, it said.

A BBC graphic describes the basic ingredients of a hurricane, comprising and ocean surface and water mass with temperatures higher than 27C (81F), a low pressure zone above with horizontally spinning winds, and hot and humid air rising to form rain clouds

How are hurricanes categorised?

Hurricanes are separated into five categories based on their wind speed.

Milton was classified more than once as a category five storm - the highest - but weakened as it approached the US coast, striking as a category three storm.

After making landfall, it was further downgraded to category one.

A BBC graphic explains the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale. At category one, a hurricane has winds of 74-95 mph (119-153km/h), with some damage and power cuts expected. At category two, a hurricane has winds of 96-110mph, with extensive damage expected. At category three, a hurricane has winds of 111-129mph, with the expectation that well-built homes will suffer major damage. At category four, a hurricane has winds of 130-156mph, with severe damage to well-built homes expected. At category five, a hurricane has winds of more than 157mph, with the expectation of many buildings being destroyed and major roads cut off

How is climate change involved?

Hurricane Milton intensified quickly as it passed over exceptionally warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico, where sea surface temperatures are around 1-2C above average.

Warmer waters mean that hurricanes can pick up more energy, potentially leading to higher wind speeds.

A warmer atmosphere can also hold more moisture - up to about 7% for every 1C of temperature rise. This means that rainfall from hurricanes can be more intense.

And global sea-levels have been rising in recent decades, largely thanks to global warming.

This makes it more likely that a given storm surge will lead to coastal flooding.

In Florida, average sea-levels have risen by more than 7in (18cm) since 1970, according to US government data.

A full scientific analysis will be needed to quantify the exact role of climate change in Hurricane Milton.

But its rapid intensification fits with expectations of how these storms are changing in a warming world.

Map showing rainfall over the last 24 hours in Florida as a result of Hurricane Milton. A scale that increases in intensity between 0 and 15 inches of rain is reflected in the map which shows intense rain over Tampa, on the west coast. The map, which shows Florida as a peninsula angled down to the south east from the rest of the US, shows Orlando is also in the higher rain belt. The rainfall is less intense the further away from the path of the storm.
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