Being only the third hurricane in the Gulf Of Mexico to ever reach category 5 strength twice it is also the 42 category 5 hurricane. Milton also reached the fifth lowest pressure recorded in the center of a hurricane at 897 millibars (MB) within the Atlantic Basin. Hurricanes are not however categorized by pressure, they are ranked based on maximum sustained winds within the eye wall of the storm. In terms of wind speed, Hurricane Milton reached a maximum sustained wind speed of 180 mph when it bottomed out in the Gulf of the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula to a pressure of 897 millibars. After reaching its minimum pressure the hurricane deintensified to a category 4 hurricane then back up to a category 5 before ultimately following a weakening trend as it headed towards Florida. Hurricane Milton hit the western coast of Florida south of Tampa near Sarasota and Siesta Key at approximately 8:30 pm as a category 3 hurricane with 120 mph sustained winds. The estimated storm surge for portions of the west coast of Florida was estimated to be within an 8-15 foot range along with widespread heavy rainfall expected. Along with water Hurricane Milton spawned several tornadoes through the afternoon and evening hours. Milton ravaged Florida through the overnight before exiting Florida’s East Coast into the Atlantic as a category 1 Hurricane.
Notable rainfall reports from Florida
St. Petersburg: 18.31 inches
McKay Creek: 14.63 inches
Clearwater Beach: 14.01 inches
Temple Terrace: 13.56 inches
Baskin: 13.09 inches
Tampa: 9.93 inches
Sarasota: 7.55 inches
Goes-16 Sandwich band Satellite imaging via College of Dupage NEXLAB Satellite and Radar
Goes-16 Sandwich band Satellite imaging via College of Dupage NEXLAB Satellite and Radar
Did you know that of all 42 category 5 hurricanes in the Atlantic Basin, only four have hit the United States as a category 5 hurricane?
Here is a list of some of the most powerful storms on the planet to ever be documented and how Hurricane Milton Compares.
Top 5 lowest recorded central pressure readings within a hurricane’s life (Atlantic hurricanes)
All time 1. Super Typhoon Tip (1976) 870 MB (Western Pacific)
1. Wilma (2005): 882 mb
2. Gilbert (1988) 888 mb
3. “Labor Day” Hurricane (1935) 892 mb
4. Rita (2005) 895 mb
5. Milton (2024) 897 mb
Top 5 strongest recorded maximum wind speeds within a hurricane’s life (Atlantic hurricanes)
All Time 1. Patricia (2015) 215 mph (Eastern Pacific)
1. Allen (1980) 190 mph
T2.”Labor Day” Hurricane (1935), Gilbert (1988), Dorian (2019), Wilma (2005) 185 mph
T3. Milton (2024), Mitch (1998), Rita (2005), Irma (2017) 180 mph
T4. “Cuba” (1932), Janet (1955), Camille (1969), Katrina (2005), Dean (2007), Maria (2017) 175 mph
T5. “Cuba” (1924), Hattie (1961), Isabel (2003), Ivan (2004) 165 mph
Top 5 strongest hurricanes to make landfall in the United States (Atlantic hurricanes)
1. “Labor Day” Hurricane (1935) 185 mph Cat 5
2. Camille (1969) 180 mph Cat 5
3. Andrew (1992) 165 mph Cat 5
4. Michael (2018) 160 mph Cat 5
T5. Ian (2022), Ida (2021), Laura (2020), Charley (2004), “Freeport” (1932)… 150 mph Cat 4
Helene (2024) 140 mph Cat 4
Milton (2024) 120 mph Cat 3
Meteorologist,
Justin Storm
