close
close

first Drop

Com TW NOw News 2024

Milton Tracker: Latest news on Storm’s Path and power outages
news

Milton Tracker: Latest news on Storm’s Path and power outages

Milton was a post-tropical cyclone in the North Atlantic Ocean, the National Hurricane Center said in its latest advisory.

The post-tropical cyclone had reached winds of 75 miles per hour as of the center’s update Thursday afternoon Eastern Time. Follow our coverage here.

We follow Milton’s path

All times on the map are Eastern. By the New York Times

Follow power outages

Damaging winds from Milton caused power outages along the storm’s path.

Share of customers without electricity

Source: PowerOutage.us All times on the map are Eastern. The provinces shown are the provinces where at least 1 percent of customers do not have electricity. By the New York Times

Where did it rain?

Where does flooding occur?

River gauges from the National Water Prediction Service show flooding in the state of Florida.

Where were the strong winds?

Analysis of sensor data can help estimate where a storm’s winds circulate and where they are most intense. Here’s a snapshot shortly after Milton made landfall.

Milton is the thirteenth storm to form in the Atlantic Ocean in 2024.

In late May, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted there would be 17 to 25 named storms this year, an above-normal number.

This season follows an overly active year, with 20 named storms – including an early storm that was later officially named ‘Unnamed’. It was the eighth year in a row that the average of fourteen named storms was exceeded. Only one hurricane, Idalia, made landfall in the United States.

Normally, the El Niño pattern in effect last season would have suppressed hurricanes and reduced the number of storms in a season. But in 2023, warm ocean temperatures in the Atlantic weakened El Niño’s usual effect of thwarting storms.

The warm ocean temperatures that fueled last year’s season got even warmer at the start of this season, giving forecasters more confidence that more storms would arrive this year. The increased sea surface temperature could also strengthen storms faster than normal.

To make matters worse, last year’s El Niño pattern is also waning, most likely creating a more suitable atmosphere for storms to form and intensify.

Hurricanes need a calm environment to form, and in the Atlantic Ocean, a strong El Niño increases the amount of wind shear – a change in wind speed and/or direction with height – reducing a storm’s ability to unite disturbed. Without El Niño this year, clouds are more likely to reach the high altitudes needed to sustain a powerful cyclone.

Sources and notes

Tracking card Tracking data comes from the National Hurricane Center. The map shows chances of at least 5 percent. The forecast is for up to five days, with that timeframe beginning up to three hours before the reported time the storm reaches its last location. Wind speed probability data are not available north of 60.25 degrees north latitude.

Table of wind arrivals Arrival times are generated from a New York Times analysis of National Hurricane Center data. Geographic locations use data from the US Census Bureau and Natural Earth. Time zones are based on Google. The table shows predicted arrival times of sustained, damaging winds of 93 km/h or more for selected cities with a likelihood of such winds reaching them. When damaging winds reach a location, there is no more than a 10 percent chance that they will arrive before the “earliest reasonable” time and a 50 percent chance that they will arrive before the “most likely” time.

Wind map Data comes from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Centers for Environmental Prediction.

Radar map Radar images come from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration through Iowa State University. These mosaics are generated by combining individual radar stations that are part of the NEXRAD network.

Storm surge map Storm surge data comes from the National Hurricane Center. Forecasts include only the Gulf and Atlantic coasts of the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The actual areas that may be flooded may differ from those shown on this map. This map takes into account tides, but not waves and flooding caused by rainfall. The map also includes intertidal areas, which regularly flood during typical high tides.

Satellite map The images come from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Japan Meteorological Agency through the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere.

Precipitation card Data for multi-day forecasts or observed precipitation totals come from the National Weather Service. The 1-day forecast comes from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.