Millions across the United States are still reeling in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, however before they can even catch their breath, Hurricane Milton is hot on its heels. In just 24-hours the tropical tempest accelerated to a category 5 storm, with meteorologists saying they have clocked 180 mph sustained winds.
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00:00Millions across the United States are still reeling in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
00:05However, before they can even catch their breath, Hurricane Milton is hot on its heels.
00:10In just 24 hours, the tropical tempest accelerated to a Category 5 storm,
00:15with meteorologists saying they have clocked 180 mph sustained winds.
00:19But how did it so rapidly escalate? Well, global warming is the culprit once again.
00:24Ocean heat is a major contributor to large-scale storms like Helene and Milton.
00:28Warm water equals fuel for hurricanes, and in areas all over the Gulf of Mexico, temperatures are staggeringly high.
00:35In every single one of the areas where sea temperatures are tracked, they currently exceed 80 degrees,
00:40with the warmest areas of the Gulf topping out at 87.1 degrees Fahrenheit.
00:45With Milton, there is also low wind shear, or the rapid change in speed or direction of the wind,
00:50meaning it has nothing standing in its way.
00:52Moisture is also key in storms like these growing quickly,
00:55and warmer ocean temperatures and lower salinity increase the amount of water in the atmosphere,
00:59which traps heat near the surface.
01:01Something which will get even worse as glaciers continue to melt
01:04and fresh water continues to flow into our planet's oceans.
01:07Hurricane Milton is expected to slam Florida on October 9th or 10th.