'Storm of the Century' Hurricane Milton Strikes Florida

Thought Question: What factors do you think are most important to consider when deciding whether to evacuate or stay during extreme weather events?

Hurricane Milton, dubbed the “storm of the century,” slammed into west central Florida overnight. It arrived just two weeks after a former cyclone might've laid claim to the same title. Milton struck a highly populated stretch of the Sunshine State bringing potentially unsurvivable conditions.

The storm has teetered between Categories 4 and 5. It was downgraded to a 3 Wednesday evening. It hit regions along Florida's west coast already reeling from wreckage wrought by Hurricane Helene on September 26. Millions of people have fled the latest storm. Thirty-five of the state’s 67 counties were either placed under evacuation orders or people there were urged to leave. Many fled their homes for the second time since Helene.

The hasty mass exit caused gridlocked roads and gas shortages as most drivers sought to travel north. Few hotels were vacant Wednesday. Plus, all airports in west central Florida had closed well before the storm’s onslaught. 

Conditions are scary, but people can't get out, Ashley Khrais told NBC News. Khrais lives in Holiday, Florida.

Disaster agencies braced for major damage. It could cost up to $175 billion, many estimate. Governor Ron DeSantis said Wednesday that it wasn’t clear where Milton would make landfall. But he warned that all places on the state's west coast could see a massive storm surge. 

The storm may dump up to 18 inches of rain across central Florida on its way to the Atlantic Ocean. And Milton is perhaps as strange as the hurricane season that produced it. Its slingshot journey across the Gulf of Mexico caps a mostly quiet storm season. Forecasters had believed it would be busy. And it was, until now. It has now brought two of the worst storms in decades.

Climate experts say the warming waters of the Gulf helped cause the extreme storms.   

Photo of traffic caused by evacuations due to Hurricane Milton from Reuters.