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.)

  • Snapz@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    So is trump at Mar a Lego right now standing proudly on the front lawn for this? Is he staying there, “standing his ground” against the “climate hoax”?

    Or is he hiding somewhere else safe, with an excuse, like a coward who’s actually afraid of climate change?

  • TriflingToad@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    Currently in my house in Florida, where I am looks to be not on the direct path but not completely free. Hurricanes can move a lot, especially when they get on land and staet losing speed.

    Once we evacuated 5 hours in a car with all our animals (at the time 2 big sweaty dogs) in a car that wasnt even the size of a minivan. We packed everything we needed just in case. Once we got inside the hotel we booked we took a ~2 hour nap and upon checking the storm again it had moved to come right to where the hotel is. We then had to drive 5 hours BACK home where we began.

    Anyhoo, wish us luck! I don’t wanna evacuate with 4 cats and a large dog haha

    UPDATE: 5:30 10/8
    I got 5+ ‘amber alerts’ today. They just wouldn’t stop haha

    • strawberrysocial@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      I wish you luck trifling toad🤞 Escaping a situation with just people is difficult, with additional animals makes it so much more stressful. Especially cats since they have to be put in a crate and need a litter box etc.

  • Itdidnttrickledown@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    I guess their god doesn’t like florida. I wonder why?

    On a more serious note I really hope all the decent people of florida the best of luck. To the rest I hope you only get thoughts and prayers.

    • CheeseNoodle@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      Floridas gonna be the next Atlantis, a mysterious land that vanished under the ocean from which tales came of strange people comitting outragous deeds. Future historians will see the tales of the mighty ‘Florida Men’ and assume it was some kind of myth.

      • Dasus@lemmy.world
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        1 month ago

        More like Doggerland a place having verifiably existed, and which would hold answers to what man’s primitive ancestors were doing, but which we don’t really go to look at, because studying shit that’s underwater is expensive and we’re not that interested.

    • Grandwolf319@sh.itjust.works
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      1 month ago

      I wonder why?

      Anytime Americans are asked which state would you get rid of, Florida is the top answer.

      Maybe their god is starting to listen.

      /s

  • Maggoty@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    NOAA changed Milton’s heading on Hurricanes.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.

    • Raiderkev@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      My friend lives in Florida and has not, nor his words “will ever” evacuate for a “stupid hurricane.” I’ll give you one guess who he’s voting for.

    • Filthmontane@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      I’ve lived in the Tampa Bay area my entire life, never evacuated before, and I left last night. Fuck Milton. Not worth riding this one out.

    • IMNOTCRAZYINSTITUTION@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      I was listening to a live stream with a couple meteorologists explaining everything. they were fairly jovial and laid back seeming guys but at one point, one of them got a deadly serious tone to his voice and started talking about how this one can’t be rode out, can’t be survived.

    • Treczoks@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      Why evacuate? Just write your name, DoB, and SSN on our arms and legs, and use a waterproof sharpie for that. Just in case, you know?

    • finitebanjo@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      A lot of whats about to happen to Florida in the coming months will be self inflicted because of their politics.

  • JaggedRobotPubes@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    I’m gonna tell myself that this is finally bad enough to spur widespread action on global warming as a way of feeling better about it and you can all preemptively shut up with your reality checks.

    • Fedizen@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      Tbh I’ve learned a lot about how thermal energy affects these storms and I gotta say, the only people who are gonna be living in Florida 20 years from now are people who live in submarines.

      We ought to be executing oil company CEOs for treason.

  • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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    1 month 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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    1 month ago

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

  • WoahWoah@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    I saw some models basically saying how unpredictable this hurricane is to the point that forecasts are all over the map, from landfall as Cat 2 all the way up to it maintaining Cat 5. Most predictions think it will land as a strong Cat 3, but the variance is really high.

    • ryathal@sh.itjust.works
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      1 month ago

      Minimal. Helene went north, and really only hit the pan handle area, Milton is going East and is going to pass through the middle of Florida.