For the first time on record, the Atlantic has 3 hurricanes simultaneously after September
FILE-Local residents fill sandbags as rain starts to fall in Kissimmee, Florida on October 6, 2024. (Photo by GREGG NEWTON/AFP via Getty Images)
Hurricane Milton increased to a Category 5 hurricane Monday morning as it moves toward Florida, as residents are preparing to evacuate their areas.
Milton was positioned about 815 miles west-southwest of Tampa on Sunday afternoon, with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph, the National Hurricane Center said.
With Milton gaining hurricane status, this marks the first time the Atlantic has had three simultaneous hurricanes after September, Colorado State University hurricane scientist Phil Klotzbach posted on X, formerly Twitter. There have been four simultaneous hurricanes in August and September.
RELATED: Hurricane watch: Milton strengthens to Category 4 as it moves toward Florida
Satellite image of three hurricanes and disturbances in the Atlantic. (National Hurricane Center)
The Florida region is still recovering after it was battered by Hurricane Helene, which caused catastrophic damage from Florida into the Appalachian Mountains and a death toll that increased Sunday to at least 230 people, the AP noted.
Citing the National Hurricane Center, the AP reported that in the Atlantic, Hurricane Kirk was downgraded to a Category 2 hurricane on Sunday, with top winds of 105 mph, sending large swells and "life-threatening surf and rip current conditions" to Bermuda and northward along the U.S. and Canadian coasts.
Map shows the projected path of Hurricane Milton on Oct. 7, 2024. (NOAA/National Hurricane Center)
Meanwhile, Hurricane Leslie was also moving over the Atlantic Ocean, away from land, with top winds of 85 mph.
Forecasters tell the AP that the storm path suggests Milton could make landfall Wednesday in the Tampa Bay area and remain a hurricane as it moves across central Florida into the Atlantic Ocean. The AP noted that it would spare other southeastern states devastated by Hurricane Helene.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency in 51 counties, many of which are still recovering from Hurricane Helene.
The state's emergency management director tells the Associated Press that Florida is preparing for the largest evacuation in years, since Hurricane Irma in 2017.