Milton rapidly intensified to a Category 5 hurricane late Monday morning.

Within hours, Milton strengthened to a Category 2, then a Category 3, then a Category 4 and finally a Category 5.

Milton now ranks as the third-greatest 24-hour wind speed intensification for a hurricane in the Atlantic Basin. (Records are based on data since the satellite era began in the 1960s.)

  • SuperSpruce@lemmy.zip
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    6 days ago

    This storm has reached 180mph at its peak. Have you ever braced wind at that speed? I’ve ridden at 120mph on my motorcycle (at a drag strip). The wind, even with a full face helmet and visor, was so extreme that it was hard to hold on and my ears were ringing afterward despite having earplugs in. This insanity corresponds to a few seconds of a category 3 hurricane. This hurricane’s winds are like that felt by squids on literbikes doing top speed runs.

    • oatscoop@midwest.social
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      6 days ago

      To add to what you’ve said: if you’ve ever hit a bug (or anything else) at those speeds you notice it. A junebug will leave a fairly decent bruise on exposed skin, and for comparison a paintball out of a marker travels about 190 mph.

      Imagine the random far more substantial debris flying around during a hurricane near those speeds.

    • ...m...@ttrpg.network
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      6 days ago

      …i’ve done a buck fourty-five in my convertible with the top down: it’s LOUD…at one fifty-five, pushing with all two hundred horsepower, my car can’t make any further headway against the wind and buildings are a lot less aerodynamically efficient…

      …i’ve ridden out a half-dozen hurricanes but category fives are get-out-of-town devastating…

  • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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    6 days ago

    What. The. Fuck.

    I’m watching the live stream from WFLA, which is a St. Petersburg station. He’s a photo of a bridge leaving the area right now (just after noon on Tuesday Florida time.)

    Either most people with cars have evacuated or there are a lot of people who may learn the last lesson of their lives. I hope the former.

    Also, the eye apparently will pass right over Cape Canaveral.

  • SmokumJoe@lemmy.world
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    6 days ago

    You would think religious people would say this is a sign. They probably do but apply it in the wrong direction.

  • Agent641@lemmy.world
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    6 days ago

    Don’t hurricanes normally go the other way? I thought they normally blow towards the southwest?

    • ghen@sh.itjust.works
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      6 days ago

      Gulf hurricanes can do this, and they can become some of the strongest hurricanes very quickly. One or two of the massive storms in 2005 were gulf hurricanes

  • Tja@programming.dev
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    6 days ago

    Within hours, Milton strengthened to a Category 2, then a Category 3, then a Category 4 and finally a Category 5.

    Someone had a word quota to fill.

  • Maggoty@lemmy.world
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    7 days ago

    So, fun fact. There’s an unorganized storm with category 1 winds just sitting over Mid Florida already. Also NOAA changed Milton’s heading on Hurricane.gov to plead with people to listen to evacuation orders.

    We’ll all be very happy to feel silly if this doesn’t go the way it looks like it’s going to go. But please for the love of humanity get out of the way of this thing.