Hurricane Milton

[capnsensible]

Florida getting braced for second one in a couple of weeks. This time looking like it will hit further south around Tampa. Loads on news about this. A very good weather site:


Hurricane Milton An Extremely Serious Threat To Florida; Destructive Storm Surge, Winds, Flooding Rain Expected

A friend of ours lives in St Petersburg. She has decided, with her partner, to stay put.....lives quite high up in an apartment block. Have wished her good luck.

Edit to add has reached winds of 150+ knots.....

 

[Minerva]

Surely A.N other hurricane hitting Florida is about as note worthy as heavy rain in Scotland?

 

[Frank Holden]

An unusual one. Read yesterday that its only the third known to have formed near Yucatan and then moved east towards Florida and the first since the 1850's.
Another one forming way out east.
earth :: a global map of wind, weather, and ocean conditions

 

[capnsensible]

Surely A.N other hurricane hitting Florida is about as note worthy as heavy rain in Scotland?

3 or 4 a year perhaps, some more intense than others. Rain in Scotland rarely kills upwards of two hundred people, disrupts the lives of millions and doesn't cause billions of pounds worth of damage.

Perhaps the population of Florida should relocate to Aberdeen?

 

[lustyd]

Perhaps the population of Florida should relocate to Aberdeen?

I imagine that was more the point. The devastation isn't unexpected so although Florida is lovely most of the time there is certainly a trade off people are making. The folks in Florida do at least have something of a choice (as in, other states). Many islanders have nowhere to go and no way of getting a visa to move which must be many times worse

 

[capnsensible]

If Floridians have to sell their homes and businesses to move out of the hurricane belt, who on earth would buy them?

 

[Boathook]

I've got friends who live in The Villages to the west of Orlando. Presently they are up in Canada trying to see polar bears so I'm not worried about their safety. Their home is only 2 years old so hopefully well built. They are also both realtors? (estate agents) so know all the short cuts ....
Whether they have a house to come back to is unknown at present, but they do do have a coach size RV with them which they travel in for 6 months in the year. Compared with a lot of people they will be OK.

 

[Boathook]

If Floridians have to sell their homes and businesses to move out of the hurricane belt, who on earth would buy them?

Doesn't seem to be a shortage of people. Whether 2 hurricanes in quick succession alters that remains to be seen.

 

[capnsensible]

Unless they get eaten by polar bears....

 

[capnsensible]

Doesn't seem to be a shortage of people. Whether 2 hurricanes in quick succession alters that remains to be seen.

Then they will be in the same position as those who already live there.

 

[lustyd]

If Floridians have to sell their homes and businesses to move out of the hurricane belt, who on earth would buy them?

I don't think it's if, it's when. Climate change will make that area untenable within 20 years so the problem will become bigger. My point was people in Florida have US passports so they do have options even if they don't like them. Don't forget also, they bought their property knowing it was a hurricane zone.

 

[Boathook]

Unless they get eaten by polar bears....

I'm sure that it will be in the press as one is Irish and the other UK and both have duel nationality.

David Attenborough survived ok .....

 

[capnsensible]

I don't think it's if, it's when. Climate change will make that area untenable within 20 years so the problem will become bigger. My point was people in Florida have US passports so they do have options even if they don't like them. Don't forget also, they bought their property knowing it was a hurricane zone.

How can they all afford to move? How many were born there? No options at all really.

This could easily get political with world migration v resources yadda yadda, so I'm just gonna give best hopes to those that have to go through this on Thursday.

Airborne alligators? scarey.

 

[capnsensible]

I'm sure that it will be in the press as one is Irish and the other UK and both have duel nationality.

David Attenborough survived ok .....

Like a Tilley hat and an elephant?

 

[Sandy]

Perhaps the population of Florida should relocate to Aberdeen?

I thought they had when oil arrived.

You will know that the west coast is a lot wetter than Aberdeen.

 

[capnsensible]

Centre of Milton at 914mb. Eek.

 

[wombat88]

At the beginning of this clip there is a little shot taken out of the plane's window. Scary.

Moment extreme turbulence hits Hurricane Milton hunters

 

[lustyd]

Centre of Milton at 914mb. Eek.

That's higher than it was - 897mb and the 5th lowest of any recorded. Supposed to drop to Cat 3 before landfall so hopefully not as bad as expected

 

[Mistroma]

Going over to visit friends on their boat in a few minutes. They have a house at Howey in the Hills. No worry about storm surge but freshwater flooding might be an issue (flash flooding?).

Milton has an unusual track as it's likely to go straight across the middle. Most track upwards, often almost a glancing blow wrt inland areas.

 

[capnsensible]

That's higher than it was - 897mb and the 5th lowest of any recorded. Supposed to drop to Cat 3 before landfall so hopefully not as bad as expected

Yeah, try wunderground tropical for a great source of now time plus hurricane archives. Iirc Wilma was the lowest in the N Atlantic.

This https://www.wunderground.com/hurricane/atlantic/2024/hurricane-milton shows 911 at the lowest.

Seems its not the wind but the water that kills. Even if its 3 on landfall, its expanded, stormsurge bad, v bad and horrendous rain.

Our friend there still has high morale...